Full Text of SR0097 102nd General Assembly
SR0097 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Evidence from thousands of studies connect | 3 | | increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas
(GHG) concentrations | 4 | | with escalating annual average temperatures, shrinking sea | 5 | | ice, melting
glaciers, rising sea levels/temperatures, and | 6 | | increasing atmospheric water vapor, all of which
connect to | 7 | | extremes in global climate; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, These increasing climate extremes threaten both | 9 | | current and future ecological system
sustainability upon which | 10 | | health and well-being depend; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, These influences reach beyond State and national | 12 | | boundaries with implications for all
humanity but | 13 | | disproportionately affect the most vulnerable; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, The interaction of political, economic, and | 15 | | cultural factors influence resource
availability and related | 16 | | resilience of families and communities, with a higher risk of | 17 | | adverse
health consequences borne by geographic areas with | 18 | | fewer economic resources and greater
health disparities; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Climate-related health risks tend to worsen | 20 | | health conditions, which increases
chronic and infectious | 21 | | diseases, injuries and premature life-loss from |
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| 1 | | physical/psychosocial
disabilities, trauma from separation of | 2 | | families, disruption of healthcare and social services,
| 3 | | infectious disease vulnerability, risk of dehydration and | 4 | | inadequate nutrition, heat stress,
and psychological and | 5 | | adjustment disorders; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Unchecked continuation of current climate trends | 7 | | undermine the sustainability of
water systems, agricultural | 8 | | production, and biodiversity, contributing to basic resource
| 9 | | depletion, famine, social disruption, population | 10 | | displacement/emigration, increased potential for
violent | 11 | | conflict, and decreased regional and global stability; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, The vulnerability of the Midwest and the State of | 13 | | Illinois is a microcosm of these influences
from increasing | 14 | | heat, humidity, precipitation, flooding, soil erosion, | 15 | | sedimentation, property
damage, late-season drought, invasive | 16 | | species, pests, and plant diseases, leading to reduced
air and | 17 | | water quality, biodiversity, agricultural productivity, and | 18 | | worker safety/productivity, all of
which jeopardize human | 19 | | health, agriculture, transportation, manufacturing/commerce,
| 20 | | recreation/tourism, and economic vibrancy; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Many of these consequences can be prevented or | 22 | | substantially minimized through
interventions that | 23 | | dramatically reduce GHG emissions, such as decreased reliance |
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| 1 | | on carbon-based
fuels (i.e. gas, oil and coal) and energy | 2 | | waste and increased energy conservation and reliance on
| 3 | | renewable energy sources (i.e. wind, solar and potentially | 4 | | nuclear fusion); and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Such a paradigm shift in the consumption and | 6 | | production of energy is not just a
necessity but an | 7 | | opportunity for innovation, job creation, and substantial | 8 | | environmental and related
health, economic, social and | 9 | | national security benefits, all of which represent co-benefits | 10 | | in
addition to reducing the risk of climate change; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Solutions to securing a more sustainable global | 12 | | environment lie exclusively in the
domain of individual and | 13 | | collective actions aimed at holding global average temperature
| 14 | | increases to well below 2°C (3.6°F), above preindustrial | 15 | | levels, and to pursuing efforts to limit
such temperature | 16 | | increases to 1.5°C (2.7°F); and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Cities, urban areas, and states represent unique, | 18 | | scalable incubators for innovation to
counteract climate | 19 | | change, especially since policies adopted in such | 20 | | jurisdictions typically have
the most immediate impact on the | 21 | | daily lives of their residents; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Paramount to a coordinated, collective response |
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| 1 | | to this threat is an acknowledgment
of the risk it represents | 2 | | for all humankind and the urgency to apply best available | 3 | | science-based
interventions; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, The physical sciences have established this | 5 | | understanding, but the social sciences
are critical in | 6 | | translating this knowledge to adaptive and mitigative actions | 7 | | to match the need,
and one of public health strengths is | 8 | | functioning effectively at the nexus of the physical and
| 9 | | social sciences; therefore, be it
| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 11 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the State of Illinois | 12 | | should play an important role in addressing climate change by | 13 | | taking the following steps: | 14 | | (1) Encourage local and State elected leaders (i.e. | 15 | | mayors, county board chairs/executives and governors) to | 16 | | officially endorse and engage in the respective
| 17 | | commitments, momentum, and resources available through | 18 | | Climate Reality Mayors,
Climate Resolution for County | 19 | | Executives, and the U.S. Climate Alliance; | 20 | | (2) Urge implementation of public and/or | 21 | | public-private collaborative alternative financing
| 22 | | opportunities to encourage green development and climate | 23 | | resilient infrastructure; | 24 | | (3) Conduct, encourage, and support advocacy, |
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| 1 | | education, and public awareness on
the threat from climate | 2 | | change and its solutions; | 3 | | (4) Establish support for and funding of research, | 4 | | surveillance, reporting, and tracking of
climate-related | 5 | | health effects; | 6 | | (5) Expand State and local preparedness and its | 7 | | funding for disaster readiness and
response to effectively | 8 | | assist in climate-related event resilience and
rapid | 9 | | recovery; and | 10 | | (6) Promote green energy production and energy | 11 | | efficiency in all public policies and
practices, while | 12 | | disincentivizing reliance on carbon-based fuels and | 13 | | utilizing as examples
new and rehabilitated public | 14 | | facilities.
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