I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 260 To address the disparate impact of climate change on women and support the efforts of women globally to address climate change, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 11, 2021 Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mrs. DEMINGS, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARSON, Ms. HOULAHAN, Ms. MENG, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Ms. WILD, Mr. MALINOWSKI, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. COHEN, Mr. SIRES, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illi- nois, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. HASTINGS, Mrs. TORRES of California, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. BASS, Ms. SPEIER, and Ms. CHU) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently de- termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To address the disparate impact of climate change on women and support the efforts of women globally to address climate change, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 260 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 2 ‘‘Women and Climate Change Act of 2021’’. 3 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 4 this Act is as follows: 5 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings. Sec. 3. Definitions. Sec. 4. Statement of policy. TITLE I—STRATEGIES, POLICIES, AND PROGRAMS Sec. 101. Federal Interagency Working Group on Women and Climate Change. Sec. 102. Development and implementation of strategy and policies to prevent and respond to the effects of climate change on women glob- ally. TITLE II—OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY Sec. 201. Senior Coordinator for Women and Climate Change. Sec. 202. Briefing and report. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress makes the following findings: 7 (1) Women in the United States and around 8 the world are the linchpin of families and commu- 9 nities and are often the first to feel the immediate 10 and adverse effects of social, environmental, and eco- 11 nomic stresses on their families and communities. 12 (2) The United Nations has recognized, as one 13 of the central organizing principles for its work, that 14 ‘‘no enduring solution to society’s most threatening 15 social, economic and political problems can be found 16 without the full participation, and the full empower- 17 ment, of the world’s women’’. 18 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 260 IH (3) The United Nations Development Pro- 1 gramme 2013 Human Development Report has 2 found that the number of people living in extreme 3 poverty could increase by up to 3,000,000,000 by 4 2050 unless environmental disasters are averted by 5 coordinated global action. 6 (4) Climate change is already forcing the most 7 vulnerable communities and populations in devel- 8 oping countries to face unprecedented climate stress, 9 including water scarcity and drought, as well as se- 10 vere weather events and floods, which can lead to re- 11 duced agricultural productivity, food insecurity, and 12 increased disease. 13 (5) Climate change exacerbates issues of scar- 14 city and lack of accessibility to primary natural re- 15 sources, forest resources, and arable land for food 16 production, thereby contributing to increased conflict 17 and instability, as well as the workload and stresses 18 on women farmers, who are estimated to produce 60 19 to 80 percent of the food in most developing coun- 20 tries. 21 (6) Women will disproportionately face harmful 22 impacts from climate change, particularly in poor 23 and developing nations where women regularly as- 24 sume increased responsibility for growing the fam- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 260 IH ily’s food and collecting water, fuel, and other re- 1 sources. 2 (7) Epidemics, such as malaria and zika, are 3 expected to worsen and spread due to variations in 4 climate, putting women (especially pregnant mothers 5 and women who hope to become pregnant) and chil- 6 dren without access to prevention and medical serv- 7 ices at risk. 8 (8) The direct and indirect effects of climate 9 change have a disproportionate impact on marginal- 10 ized women, such as environmental refugees and dis- 11 placed persons, migrants, religious, racial, or ethnic 12 minorities, adolescent girls, lesbian and trans 13 women, women living in poverty, and women and 14 girls with disabilities and those who are living with 15 HIV. 16 (9) Conflict has a disproportionate impact on 17 the most vulnerable communities and populations, 18 including women, and is fueled in the poorest re- 19 gions of the world by harsher climates, leading to 20 migration, refugee crises, and conflicts over scarce 21 natural resources, including land and water. 22 (10) Displaced, refugee, and stateless women 23 and girls face extreme violence and threats, includ- 24 ing— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 260 IH (A) being forced to exchange sex for food 1 and humanitarian supplies; 2 (B) being at increased risk of rape, sexual 3 exploitation, and abuse; and 4 (C) being at increased risk for HIV, sexu- 5 ally transmitted infections (STIs), unplanned 6 pregnancy, and poor reproductive health. 7 (11) It is predicted that climate change will 8 lead to increasing frequency and intensity of extreme 9 weather conditions, precipitating the occurrence of 10 natural disasters around the globe. 11 (12) The relocation and death of women, and 12 especially mothers, as a result of climate-related dis- 13 asters often has devastating impacts on social sup- 14 port networks, family ties, and the coping capacity 15 of families and communities. 16 (13) The ability of women to adapt to climate 17 change is constrained by a lack of economic free- 18 doms, property and inheritance rights, and access to 19 financial resources, education, family planning and 20 reproductive health, and new tools, equipment, and 21 technology. 22 (14) Despite having a unique capacity and 23 knowledge to promote and provide for adaptation to 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 260 IH climate change, women often have insufficient re- 1 sources to undertake such adaptation. 2 (15) Women are shown to have a multiplier ef- 3 fect because women use their income and resources, 4 when given the necessary tools, to increase the well- 5 being of their children and families, and thus play 6 a critical role in reducing food insecurity, poverty, 7 and socioeconomic effects of climate change. 8 (16) Women are often underrepresented in the 9 development and formulation of policy regarding 10 mitigation and adaptation to climate change, even 11 though women are often in the best position to pro- 12 vide and consult on adaptive strategies. 13 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 14 In this Act: 15 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 16 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 17 mittees’’ means— 18 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations 19 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 20 Senate; and 21 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 22 the Committee on Appropriations of the House 23 of Representatives. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 260 IH (2) CLIMATE CHANGE.—The term ‘‘climate 1 change’’ means a change of climate that is attrib- 2 uted directly or indirectly to— 3 (A) human activity; and 4 (B) altering the composition of the global 5 atmosphere. 6 (3) DEVELOPING COUNTRY.—The term ‘‘devel- 7 oping country’’ means a country classified by the 8 World Bank as having a low-income or lower-middle- 9 income economy. 10 (4) DISPARATE IMPACT.—The term ‘‘disparate 11 impact’’ refers to the historical and ongoing impacts 12 of the pattern and practice of discrimination in em- 13 ployment, education, housing, banking, health, and 14 nearly every other aspect of life in the economy, so- 15 ciety, or culture that have an adverse impact on mi- 16 norities, women, or other protected groups, regard- 17 less of whether such practices were motivated by dis- 18 criminatory intent. 19 (5) ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS.—The term 20 ‘‘environmental disasters’’ means specific events 21 caused by human activity that result in seriously 22 negative effects on the environment. 23 (6) ENVIRONMENTAL REFUGEES.—The term 24 ‘‘environmental refugees’’ means people displaced be- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 260 IH cause of environmental causes, notably land loss and 1 degradation, and natural disasters, who have left 2 their community or country of origin. 3 (7) EXTREME POVERTY.—The term ‘‘extreme 4 poverty’’ means having an income level or living 5 standard at a level of extreme deprivation based on 6 living with income below 50 percent of the poverty 7 line as established by the individual country at issue, 8 or below $1.90 per day as determined by the World 9 Bank. 10 (8) EXTREME WEATHER.—The term ‘‘extreme 11 weather’’ means unexpected, unusual, unpredictable, 12 severe, or unseasonal weather that is at the extremes 13 of the historical distribution range that has been 14 seen in the past. 15 (9) FEDERAL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 16 agency’’ means any executive department, Govern- 17 ment corporation, Government-controlled corpora- 18 tion, or other establishment in the executive branch 19 of the Government (including the Executive Office of 20 the President), or any independent regulatory agen- 21 cy. 22 (10) FOOD INSECURITY.—The term ‘‘food inse- 23 curity’’ means a lack of consistent access to food. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 260 IH (11) MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND 1 POPULATIONS.—The term ‘‘most vulnerable commu- 2 nities and populations’’ means communities and pop- 3 ulations, including women, impoverished commu- 4 nities, adolescent girls, people with disabilities, indig- 5 enous peoples, refugees, displaced persons, migrants, 6 religious, racial, or ethnic minorities, lesbian and 7 trans women, women living in poverty, women and 8 girls with disabilities, and those who are living with 9 HIV, who are at risk of substantial adverse impacts 10 of climate change and have limited capacity to re- 11 spond to such impacts. 12 (12) POVERTY.—The term ‘‘poverty’’ means an 13 income level and living standard insufficient to meet 14 basic needs. 15 SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 16 It is the policy of the United States, in partnership 17 with affected countries, donor country governments, inter- 18 national financial institutions, international nongovern- 19 mental organizations, multilateral organizations, and civil 20 society groups, especially those led by women, to combat 21 the leading causes of climate change, mitigate the effects 22 of climate change on women and girls, and elevate the par- 23 ticipation of women in policy, program, and community 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 260 IH decision-making processes with respect to climate change, 1 by— 2 (1) establishing the Federal Interagency Work- 3 ing Group on Women and Climate Change, the mis- 4 sion of which is to prevent and respond to the ef- 5 fects of climate change on women globally; and 6 (2) implementing a coordinated, integrated, evi- 7 dence-based, and comprehensive strategy on women 8 and climate change throughout United States poli- 9 cies in the future. 10 TITLE I—STRATEGIES, POLICIES, 11 AND PROGRAMS 12 SEC. 101. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON 13 WOMEN AND CLIMATE CHANGE. 14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 15 Department of State a Federal Interagency Working 16 Group on Women and Climate Change (in this Act re- 17 ferred to as the ‘‘Working Group’’). 18 (b) CHAIRPERSON.—The Senior Coordinator for 19 Women and Climate Change designated pursuant to sec- 20 tion 201 shall serve as the chairperson of the Working 21 Group. 22 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Working Group shall be 24 composed of one senior-level representative from 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 260 IH each of the Federal agencies described in paragraph 1 (2), as selected by the head of the respective agency 2 from the senior ranks of that agency. 3 (2) AGENCIES.—The agencies described in this 4 paragraph are the following: 5 (A) The Department of State, including— 6 (i) the Office of Global Women’s 7 Issues; 8 (ii) the Office of Civil Rights; 9 (iii) the Bureau of Oceans and Inter- 10 national Environmental and Scientific Af- 11 fairs; 12 (iv) the Bureau of Population, Refu- 13 gees, and Migration; 14 (v) the Bureau of Democracy, Human 15 Rights, and Labor; and 16 (vi) the Bureau of International Orga- 17 nization Affairs. 18 (B) The United States Agency for Inter- 19 national Development. 20 (C) The Centers for Disease Control and 21 Prevention. 22 (D) The Environmental Protection Agency. 23 (E) The National Oceanic and Atmos- 24 pheric Administration. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:43 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 260 IH (F) The National Institutes of Health. 1 (G) The National Science Foundation. 2 (H) The Council on Environmental Qual- 3 ity. 4 (I) Such other agencies as may be des- 5 ignated by the Senior Coordinator for Women 6 and Climate Change. 7 (d) FUNCTIONS.—The Working Group shall— 8 [Text truncated for display. 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