II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 868 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 26, 2019 Ms. HIRONO introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 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 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Women and Climate Change Act of 2019’’. 5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 6 this Act is as follows: 7 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings. Sec. 3. Definitions. Sec. 4. Statement of policy. VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •S 868 IS 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. 1 Congress makes the following findings: 2 (1) Women in the United States and around 3 the world are the linchpin of families and commu- 4 nities and are often the first to feel the immediate 5 and adverse effects of social, environmental, and eco- 6 nomic stresses on their families and communities. 7 (2) The United Nations has recognized, as one 8 of the central organizing principles for its work, that 9 ‘‘no enduring solution to society’s most threatening 10 social, economic and political problems can be found 11 without the full participation, and the full empower- 12 ment, of the world’s women’’. 13 (3) The United Nations Development Pro- 14 gramme 2013 Human Development Report has 15 found that the number of people living in extreme 16 poverty could increase by up to 3,000,000,000 by 17 2050 unless environmental disasters are averted by 18 coordinated global action. 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •S 868 IS (4) Climate change is already forcing the most 1 vulnerable communities and populations in devel- 2 oping countries to face unprecedented climate stress, 3 including water scarcity and drought, as well as se- 4 vere weather events and floods, which can lead to re- 5 duced agricultural productivity, food insecurity, and 6 increased disease. 7 (5) Climate change exacerbates issues of scar- 8 city and lack of accessibility to primary natural re- 9 sources, forest resources, and arable land for food 10 production, thereby contributing to increased conflict 11 and instability, as well as the workload and stresses 12 on women farmers, who are estimated to produce 60 13 to 80 percent of the food in most developing coun- 14 tries. 15 (6) Women will disproportionately face harmful 16 impacts from climate change, particularly in poor 17 and developing nations where women regularly as- 18 sume increased responsibility for growing the fam- 19 ily’s food and collecting water, fuel, and other re- 20 sources. 21 (7) Epidemics, such as malaria and zika, are 22 expected to worsen and spread due to variations in 23 climate, putting women (especially pregnant mothers 24 and women who hope to become pregnant) and chil- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •S 868 IS dren without access to prevention and medical serv- 1 ices at risk. 2 (8) The direct and indirect effects of climate 3 change have a disproportionate impact on 4 marginalized women, such as environmental refugees 5 and displaced persons, migrants, religious, racial, or 6 ethnic minorities, adolescent girls, lesbian and trans 7 women, women living in poverty, and women and 8 girls with disabilities and those who are living with 9 HIV. 10 (9) Conflict has a disproportionate impact on 11 the most vulnerable communities and populations, 12 including women, and is fueled in the poorest re- 13 gions of the world by harsher climates, leading to 14 migration, refugee crises, and conflicts over scarce 15 natural resources, including land and water. 16 (10) Displaced, refugee, and stateless women 17 and girls face extreme violence and threats, includ- 18 ing— 19 (A) being forced to exchange sex for food 20 and humanitarian supplies; 21 (B) being at increased risk of rape, sexual 22 exploitation, and abuse; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •S 868 IS (C) being at increased risk for HIV, sexu- 1 ally transmitted infections (STIs), unplanned 2 pregnancy, and poor reproductive health. 3 (11) It is predicted that climate change will 4 lead to increasing frequency and intensity of extreme 5 weather conditions, precipitating the occurrence of 6 natural disasters around the globe. 7 (12) The relocation and death of women, and 8 especially mothers, as a result of climate-related dis- 9 asters often has devastating impacts on social sup- 10 port networks, family ties, and the coping capacity 11 of families and communities. 12 (13) The ability of women to adapt to climate 13 change is constrained by a lack of economic free- 14 doms, property and inheritance rights, and access to 15 financial resources, education, family planning and 16 reproductive health, and new tools, equipment, and 17 technology. 18 (14) Despite having a unique capacity and 19 knowledge to promote and provide for adaptation to 20 climate change, women often have insufficient re- 21 sources to undertake such adaptation. 22 (15) Women are shown to have a multiplier ef- 23 fect because women use their income and resources, 24 when given the necessary tools, to increase the well- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •S 868 IS being of their children and families, and thus play 1 a critical role in reducing food insecurity, poverty, 2 and socioeconomic effects of climate change. 3 (16) Women are often underrepresented in the 4 development and formulation of policy regarding 5 mitigation and adaptation to climate change, even 6 though women are often in the best position to pro- 7 vide and consult on adaptive strategies. 8 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 9 In this Act: 10 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 11 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 12 mittees’’ means— 13 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations 14 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 15 Senate; and 16 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 17 the Committee on Appropriations of the House 18 of Representatives. 19 (2) CLIMATE CHANGE.—The term ‘‘climate 20 change’’ means a change of climate that is attrib- 21 uted directly or indirectly to— 22 (A) human activity; and 23 (B) altering the composition of the global 24 atmosphere. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •S 868 IS (3) DEVELOPING COUNTRY.—The term ‘‘devel- 1 oping country’’ means a country classified by the 2 World Bank as having a low-income or lower-middle- 3 income economy. 4 (4) DISPARATE IMPACT.—The term ‘‘disparate 5 impact’’ refers to the historical and ongoing impacts 6 of the pattern and practice of discrimination in em- 7 ployment, education, housing, banking, health, and 8 nearly every other aspect of life in the economy, so- 9 ciety, or culture that have an adverse impact on mi- 10 norities, women, or other protected groups, regard- 11 less of whether such practices were motivated by dis- 12 criminatory intent. 13 (5) ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS.—The term 14 ‘‘environmental disasters’’ means specific events 15 caused by human activity that result in seriously 16 negative effects on the environment. 17 (6) ENVIRONMENTAL REFUGEES.—The term 18 ‘‘environmental refugees’’ means people displaced be- 19 cause of environmental causes, notably land loss and 20 degradation, and natural disasters, who have left 21 their community or country of origin. 22 (7) EXTREME POVERTY.—The term ‘‘extreme 23 poverty’’ means having an income level or living 24 standard at a level of extreme deprivation based on 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •S 868 IS living with income below 50 percent of the poverty 1 line as established by the individual country at issue, 2 or below $1.90 per day as determined by the World 3 Bank. 4 (8) EXTREME WEATHER.—The term ‘‘extreme 5 weather’’ means unexpected, unusual, unpredictable, 6 severe, or unseasonal weather that is at the extremes 7 of the historical distribution range that has been 8 seen in the past. 9 (9) FEDERAL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 10 agency’’ means any executive department, Govern- 11 ment corporation, Government-controlled corpora- 12 tion, or other establishment in the executive branch 13 of the Government (including the Executive Office of 14 the President), or any independent regulatory agen- 15 cy. 16 (10) FOOD INSECURITY.—The term ‘‘food inse- 17 curity’’ means a lack of consistent access to food. 18 (11) MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND 19 POPULATIONS.—The term ‘‘most vulnerable commu- 20 nities and populations’’ means communities and pop- 21 ulations, including women, impoverished commu- 22 nities, adolescent girls, people with disabilities, indig- 23 enous peoples, refugees, displaced persons, migrants, 24 religious, racial, or ethnic minorities, lesbian and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •S 868 IS trans women, women living in poverty, women and 1 girls with disabilities, and those who are living with 2 HIV, who are at risk of substantial adverse impacts 3 of climate change and have limited capacity to re- 4 spond to such impacts. 5 (12) POVERTY.—The term ‘‘poverty’’ means an 6 income level and living standard insufficient to meet 7 basic needs. 8 SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 9 It is the policy of the United States, in partnership 10 with affected countries, donor country governments, inter- 11 national financial institutions, international nongovern- 12 mental organizations, multilateral organizations, and civil 13 society groups, especially those led by women, to combat 14 the leading causes of climate change, mitigate the effects 15 of climate change on women and girls, and elevate the par- 16 ticipation of women in policy, program, and community 17 decision-making processes with respect to climate change, 18 by— 19 (1) establishing the Federal Interagency Work- 20 ing Group on Women and Climate Change, the mis- 21 sion of which is to prevent and respond to the ef- 22 fects of climate change on women globally; and 23 (2) implementing a coordinated, integrated, evi- 24 dence-based, and comprehensive strategy on women 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •S 868 IS and climate change throughout United States poli- 1 cies in the future. 2 TITLE I—STRATEGIES, POLICIES, 3 AND PROGRAMS 4 SEC. 101. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON 5 WOMEN AND CLIMATE CHANGE. 6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 7 Department of State a Federal Interagency Working 8 Group on Women and Climate Change (in this Act re- 9 ferred to as the ‘‘Working Group’’). 10 (b) CHAIRPERSON.—The Senior Coordinator for 11 Women and Climate Change designated pursuant to sec- 12 tion 201 shall serve as the chairperson of the Working 13 Group. 14 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Working Group shall be 16 composed of one senior-level representative from 17 each of the Federal agencies described in paragraph 18 (2), as selected by the head of the respective agency 19 from the senior ranks of that agency. 20 (2) AGENCIES.—The agencies described in this 21 paragraph are the following: 22 (A) The Department of State, including— 23 (i) the Office of Global Women’s 24 Issues; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •S 868 IS (ii) the Office of Civil Rights; 1 (iii) the Bureau of Oceans and Inter- 2 national Environmental and Scientific Af- 3 fairs; 4 (iv) the Bureau of Population, Refu- 5 gees, and Migration; 6 (v) the Bureau of Democracy, Human 7 Rights, and Labor; and 8 (vi) the Bureau of International Orga- 9 nization Affairs. 10 (B) The United States Agency for Inter- 11 national Development. 12 (C) The Centers for Disease Control and 13 Prevention. 14 (D) The Environmental Protection Agency. 15 (E) The National Oceanic and Atmos- 16 pheric Administration. 17 (F) The National Institutes of Health. 18 (G) The National Science Foundation. 19 (H) The Council on Environmental Qual- 20 ity. 21 (I) Such other agencies as may be des- 22 ignated by the Senior Coordinator for Women 23 and Climate Change. 24 (d) FUNCTIONS.—The Working Group shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S868.IS S868 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •S 868 IS (1) coordinate and integrate the development of 1 all policies and activities of the Federal Government 2 across all agencies relating to— 3 (A) combating the effects of climate 4 change on women in the national and inter- 5 national sphere; and 6 (B) improving the response and strategy of 7 the Federal Government to fight climate change 8 for the security of the United States and the 9 international community; 10 (2) allow each member of the Working Group 11 to act as a representative for the Working Group 12 within the Federal department or agency of such 13 member to facilitate implementation of the Working 14 Group policies within such department or agency; 15 (3) ensure that all relevant Federal depart- 16 ments or agencies comply with appropriate guide- 17 lines, policies, and directives from the Working 18 Group, the Department of Stat [Text truncated for display. 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