BILL NUMBER: AJR 26CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 114 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 30, 2010 ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 18, 2010 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 25, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 25, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 14, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Chesbro (Coauthors: Assembly Members Huffman, Ammiano, Bass, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Coto, De La Torre, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Jones, Lieu, Mendoza, Monning, Nava, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Skinner, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, and Yamada) (Coauthor: Senator Pavley) SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 Relative to climate change. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AJR 26, Chesbro. Climate change. This measure would request the Congress of the United States to establish a comprehensive framework, including dedicated funding, for adapting our nation's wildlife, habitats, coasts, watersheds, rivers, and other natural resources and ecosystems to the impacts of climate change. WHEREAS, On June 26, 2009, the United States House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454) that includes a comprehensive natural resource adaptation program and allocates dedicated funds to states that adopt a natural resource adaption plan to address the impacts of climate change on natural resources within the state's jurisdiction; and WHEREAS, Climate change presents the most pressing threat to California's natural resources in the 21st century; and WHEREAS, California's natural resources provide for and protect the health of our human populations by providing necessary food and water, flood and erosion barriers, disease control, atmospheric carbon removal and storage, and many useful products from our oceans, forests, grasslands, and agricultural landscapes; and WHEREAS, California's economy is linked to the health and vitality of our natural resources, which support the state's valuable agricultural, outdoor recreation, tourism, and other industries; and WHEREAS, Recognizing the need to quickly and significantly address climate change, the California Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which requires robust greenhouse gas emission reductions; and WHEREAS, Despite the success of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, previous and current emissions have created unavoidable climate change impacts that threaten our natural resources, human communities, and economy; and WHEREAS, California is experiencing these climate change impacts, including documented temperature increases, earlier snow melt, increased wildfire occurrence, sea level rise, rainfall changes, severe weather, and migration of plant and animal species; and WHEREAS, Projected future climate change impacts to California's natural resources and human health over the next century are dramatic and include increased climate-related human mortality, destruction of manmade infrastructure, high-intensity wildfires, increased flooding, increased drought, reduced snowpack, decreased water supply and quality, altered timing of essential ecosystem functions, food supply disruption, increased sea level rise, and increased extinction of fish, wildlife, and plants; and WHEREAS, Climate change impact adaptation planning and program implementation is essential to guard against these catastrophic natural, human, and economic impacts; and WHEREAS, California recognizes the need for cost-effective, comprehensive action to guard against climate change impacts to our state's natural resources, human population, and economy and, in coordination with efforts targeting greenhouse gas mitigation policies, is developing a statewide climate adaptation strategy to help the state prepare for these climate change impacts; and WHEREAS, Natural resources climate change adaptation projects, including invasive species removal, wetlands restoration, riparian and other habitat restoration, removal of unused logging roads, and wildfire protection, are labor intensive and will create new jobs; and WHEREAS, A comprehensive federal framework and dedicated funding for climate change adaptation is of special interest to the state because of the particular threats climate change poses to California' s natural resources, people, and economy; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California respectfully requests that the Congress of the United States establish a comprehensive framework, including dedicated funding, for adapting our nation's wildlife, habitats, coasts, watersheds, rivers, and other natural resources and ecosystems to the impacts of climate change; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, to the Secretary of the Interior, to the Secretary of Agriculture, to the Secretary of Commerce, and to the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.