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President Obama's November 2014 Visit to China: The Bilateral Announcements [November 13, 2014]
"At times in 2014, China has appeared to challenge U.S. leadership in Asia. It has employed what the United States has called 'coercive' tactics against U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines over disputed maritime territory; proposed a new Asian security concept defined by the idea, as expressed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, that, 'it is for the people of Asia to run the affairs of Asia, solve the problems of Asia, and uphold the security of Asia'; and launched a $50 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank outside of the post-World War II U.S.-led Bretton Woods economic system. When President Obama visited China November 10-12 for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders meeting and a state visit, however, the United States and China rolled out a series of major announcements that highlighted another side of their relationship. That side is focused on increasing cooperation on global and regional challenges such as climate change, global economic governance, non-proliferation, and pandemic diseases like Ebola; improving the military-to-military relationship; and expanding business and people-to-people ties. Explaining the Obama Administration's pursuit of such cooperation, a senior Administration official stated, 'Disagreements, areas of competition, are normal and natural, but we want to build a relationship that is not defined by them.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lawrence, Susan V.; Leggett, Jane A.; Morrison, Wayne M.
2014-11-13
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U.S.-China Relations: Policy Issues [August 2, 2012]
"Congress faces important questions about what sort of relationship the United States should have with China and how the United States should respond to China's 'rise.' After 30 years of fastpaced economic growth, China's economy is now the second largest in the world after the United States. With economic success, China has developed significant global strategic clout. It is also engaged in an ambitious military modernization drive, including efforts to develop extendedrange power projection capabilities and such advanced weapons as a 'carrier killer' anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM). At home, it continues to suppress all perceived challenges to the Communist Party's monopoly on power. […] The United States has differed with China over approaches to combating climate change, while cooperating with China in the development of clean energy technologies. Human rights remains one of the thorniest areas of the relationship, with the United States pressing China to ease restrictions on freedom of speech, internet freedom, religious and ethnic minorities, and labor rights, and China's leaders suspicious that the United States' real goal is to end Communist Party rule. This report opens with an overview of the U.S.-China relationship and Obama Administration policy toward China, followed by a review of recent developments in the relationship. A summary of major policy issues in the relationship follows. Throughout, this report directs the reader to other CRS [Congressional Research Service] reports for more detailed information about individual topics. This report will be updated periodically."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lawrence, Susan V.
2012-08-02
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 4679, Climate-Ready Fisheries Act of 2019
This is the Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on January 29, 2020. From the Document: "H.R. 4679 would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study and report to the Congress on the efforts taken by the regional fishery management councils, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change on U.S. fishery resources. The bill would require GAO to submit their findings within one year of enactment."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2020-03-10
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Clean Power Plan: Legal Background and Pending Litigation in 'West Virginia v. EPA' [August 8, 2016]
"On October 23, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its final Clean Power Plan rule (CPP or Rule) to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), specifically carbon dioxide (CO2), from existing fossil fuel-fired power plants. The aim of the Rule, according to EPA, is to help protect human health and the environment from the impacts of climate change. The CPP would require states to submit plans to achieve state-specific CO2 goals reflecting emission performance rates or emission levels for predominantly coal-and gas-fired power plants, with a series of interim goals culminating in final goals by 2030."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Wyatt, Alexandra M.
2016-08-08
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Federal Budget: Current and Upcoming Issues [December 31, 2009]
"The federal budget helps implement Congress's 'power of the purse' by expressing Congress's spending priorities among competing aims. The Obama Administration's FY2010 budget described several important changes, including increased funding for certain domestic priorities, major programmatic reforms, and proposed spending cuts in some programs. The current economic climate continues to pose major challenges to policymakers. Federal spending tied to means-tested social programs rose due to rising unemployment, while federal revenues are projected to fall as individuals' incomes have dropped and corporate profits have sunk. Federal deficits, according to OMB and CBO projections, will likely be high relative to historic norms over the next few years, as spending rises and revenues fall relative to previously anticipated levels. FY2009 outlays rose to $3,522 billion (24.9% of GDP) and revenues fell to $2,105 billion (14.7% of GDP), yielding a total federal deficit of $1,417 billion (10.0% of GDP)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Austin, D. Andrew; Levit, Mindy R.
2009-12-31
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Management of the Colorado River: Water Allocations, Drought, and the Federal Role [March 1, 2019]
From the Document: "The Colorado River Basin covers more than 246,000 square miles in seven U.S. states (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California) and Mexico. Pursuant to federal law, the Bureau of Reclamation (part of the Department of the Interior) manages much of the basin's water supplies. Colorado River water is used primarily for agricultural irrigation and municipal and industrial (M&I) uses, but it also is important for power production, fish and wildlife, and recreational uses. In recent years, consumptive uses of Colorado River water have exceeded natural flows. This causes an imbalance in the basin's available supplies and competing demands. A drought in the basin dating to 2000 has raised the prospect of water delivery curtailments and decreased hydropower production, among other things. In the future, observers expect that increasing demand for supplies, coupled with the effects of climate change, will further increase the strain on the basin's limited water supplies."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Stern, Charles V.; Sheikh, Pervaze A.
2019-03-01
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Management of the Colorado River: Water Allocations, Drought, and the Federal Role [Updated March 21, 2019]
From the Document: "The Colorado River Basin covers more than 246,000 square miles in seven U.S. states (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California) and Mexico. Pursuant to federal law, the Bureau of Reclamation (part of the Department of the Interior) manages much of the basin's water supplies. Colorado River water is used primarily for agricultural irrigation and municipal and industrial (M&I) uses, but it also is important for power production, fish and wildlife, and recreational uses. In recent years, consumptive uses of Colorado River water have exceeded natural flows. This causes an imbalance in the basin's available supplies and competing demands. A drought in the basin dating to 2000 has raised the prospect of water delivery curtailments and decreased hydropower production, among other things. In the future, observers expect that increasing demand for supplies, coupled with the effects of climate change, will further increase the strain on the basin's limited water supplies."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Stern, Charles V.; Sheikh, Pervaze A.
2019-03-21
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National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations
"Each year, Federal agencies invest billions of dollars in civil Earth observations. Through these investments, the U.S. government ensures that the Nation's decision makers, businesses, first-responders, farmers, and a wide array of other stakeholders have the information they need about climate and weather, disaster events, land-use change, ecosystem health, natural resources, and many other characteristics of the planet. Taken together, Earth observations provide the indispensable foundation for meeting the Federal Government's long-term sustainability objectives and advancing U.S. social, environmental, and economic well-being. As the Nation's Earth-observation capacity has grown, however, so has the complexity of this endeavor. Today, U.S. Earth-observation efforts are distributed among more than 100 programs under the purview of Federal agencies and non-Federal entities that both produce and use these data. The National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations, developed in response to congressional direction, is designed to maximize interagency coordination, increase efficiency and efficacy of future Earth-observation efforts, and promote environmental and economic sustainability."
National Science and Technology Council (U.S.)
2013-04
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21st Century Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for America's National Security
"Leadership in science and technology has been the foundation of American national security since World War II. This leadership--coupled with America's capacity for innovation and the ability to translate new ideas into deployable weapons, systems, and concepts of operation--has long ensured the Nation's military advantage. […] A new generation of threats and opportunities has emerged, moreover, which will continue to evolve in unprecedented ways. The United States must continue to lead in developing science and technology solutions to effectively address global problems, such as infectious disease and climate change, which will ultimately affect U.S. national security. The U.S. national security ST&I [Science, Technology, and Innovation] enterprise must continue to evolve to meet these emerging threats and challenges. America's national security research and development system is structured to respond to the military threats and economic opportunities of the last century. Recognizing the crucial role of technology in the Second World War, postwar America created an extensive infrastructure for national security science and technology that provided the foundation for the nuclear triad, the intelligence gathering infrastructure, and an array of other military capabilities and advanced tools to meet the threats of the Cold War era. This enterprise nurtured transformative technologies, including stealth technology, integrated command and control, and precision-guided munitions, all designed to counter peer adversaries in large-scale military conflicts. […] This document […] lays out the needs, opportunities, and challenges facing America's national security ST&I enterprise and sets forth a vision for its health and sufficiency enterprise in four critical areas: (1) workforce; (2) facilities and infrastructure; (3) governance roles and responsibilities; and (4) innovative capacity to transform ideas into working technology."
United States. White House Office
2016-05
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Can the President Withdraw from the Paris Agreement? [December 5, 2016]
"Recently, media outlets have reported that President-elect Donald Trump is considering options to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement--an international agreement intended to reduce the effects of climate change by maintaining global temperatures 'well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels[.]' As detailed in this earlier CRS [Congressional Research Service] report, the Paris Agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016 and has been accepted by 112 parties, including the United States and the European Union."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
2016-12-05
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Plan Bee--Understanding Threats to the Honey Bee Population and Examining Strategies to Promote and Protect Pollinators
From the Thesis Abstract: "In the early 2000s, a series of pollinator colonies, including honey bee colonies, collapsed--an early warning of a serious threat to our nation's environmental, economic, and food security. Two national initiatives (the creation of the White House Pollinator Health Task Force in 2014 and the subsequent implementation of a national strategy to promote pollinator health in 2015) demonstrate that the government is serious about improving pollinator health. This thesis seeks to determine if pollinator health is a homeland security issue, and reviews policies in the United States and the European Union that protect the health of pollinators. These topics are explored through a comparative policy analysis centered on four considerations: a holistic focus on all pollinators, pesticide regulation, the inclusion of regional plans in national policy, and climate change. Research indicates that decisive governance in the quest for pollinator health is essential for national security. This thesis offers a limited scope that must be enhanced to attain a more robust and resilient national pollinator plan and to improve environmental, economic, and food security in the United States."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Pfrogner, Mildred G.
2019-12
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Partnership for the Development of Aviation Biofuels
From the text: "In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Brazil to Advance Cooperation on Biofuels, dated 9 March 2007; aware of the aviation industry's reliance on high energy density liquid fuels; convinced of the vital role played by technology and industrial partnership in the field of aviation biofuels; and aware, as the world's two largest biofuels producers, that the development of aviation biofuels constitutes an important instrument for the mitigation of climate change and for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the U.S. Department of State and the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil, as representatives of the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil, respectively (the 'two sides'), announce that they are launching a Partnership for the Development of Aviation Biofuels[.]"
United States. Office of the White House Press Secretary
2011-03-19?
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Appropriations for FY2013 [September 6, 2012]
"As reported July 10, 2012, by the House Committee on Appropriations, Title II of H.R [House Resolution] 6091, the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Act, 2013, included a total of $7.06 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for FY2013, $1.28 billion (15.5%) below the President's FY2013 request of $8.34 billion, and $1.39 billion (16.5%) below the FY2012 enacted appropriation of $8.45 billion. Although the House committee-reported bill proposed an overall decrease for EPA, it included both decreases and increases in funding for many individual programs and activities in the eight appropriations accounts that fund the agency compared with the FY2013 requested and FY2012 enacted levels. Since FY2006, Congress has funded EPA accounts within the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations. [...] Other prominent issues that have received attention within the context of EPA appropriations include the level of funding for implementing certain air pollution control requirements including greenhouse gas emission regulations, climate change research and related activities, cleanup of hazardous waste sites under the Superfund program, cleanup of sites that tend to be less hazardous (referred to as brownfields), and cleanup of petroleum from leaking underground tanks. [...] In addition to funding priorities among the many pollution control programs and activities, several recent and pending EPA regulatory actions continue to be controversial in the FY2013 appropriations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Esworthy, Robert; Bearden, David M.; Tiemann, Mary
2012-09-06
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Clean Air Issues in the 112th Congress [August 7, 2012]
"Air quality has improved substantially in the United States in the 40 years of EPA's [Environmental Protection Agency] Clean Air Act regulation, but more needs to be done, according to the agency's science advisers, to protect public health and the environment from the effects of air pollution. Thus, the agency continues to promulgate regulations addressing air pollution using authority given it by Congress more than 20 years ago. In the 112th Congress, Members from both parties have raised questions about the cost-effectiveness of some of these regulations and/or whether the agency has exceeded its regulatory authority in promulgating them. Others in Congress have supported EPA, noting that the Clean Air Act, often affirmed in court decisions, has authorized or required the agency's actions. EPA's regulatory actions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been one focus of congressional interest. Although the Obama Administration has consistently said that it would prefer that Congress pass new legislation to address climate change, such legislation now appears unlikely. Instead, over the last three years, EPA has developed GHG regulations using its existing Clean Air Act authority. EPA finalized GHG emission standards for cars and light trucks on April 1, 2010, and for larger trucks, August 9, 2011. The implementation of these standards, in turn, triggered permitting and Best Available Control Technology requirements for new major stationary sources of GHGs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
McCarthy, James E.
2012-08-07
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Wildfire Fuels and Fuel Reduction [September 4, 2012]
"Severe wildfires have been burning more acres and more houses in recent years. Some assert that climate change is at least partly to blame; others claim that the increasing number of homes in and near the forest (the 'wildland-urban interface') is a major cause. However, most observers agree that wildfire suppression and historic land management practices have led to unnaturally high accumulations of biomass in many forests, particularly in the intermountain West. While high-intensity conflagrations (wildfires that burn the forest canopy) occur naturally in some ecosystems (called crown-fire or stand-replacement fire ecosystems), abnormally high biomass levels can lead to conflagrations in ecosystems when such crown fires were rare (called frequent-surface- fire ecosystems). Thus, many propose activities to reduce forest biomass fuels."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bracmort, Kelsi
2012-09-04
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2011 Minerva Research Summaries
From the Minerva Initiative website: "Just as our military forces could not effectively operate without understanding the physical terrain and environment, detection of radical actors and regime disruptions is limited by our understanding of the cultural and political environments where those threats develop. The Minerva Research Initiative, initiated by former Secretary Gates in 2009 and now supported by Secretary Leon Panetta, seeks to build deeper understanding of the social, cultural, and political dynamics that shape regions of strategic interest around the world. Deeper understanding of global populations and their variance as provided by Minerva-funded research will yield more effective strategic and operational policy decisions. Minerva scholars have already briefed valuable, warfighter-relevant insights to senior officials such as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, decision makers in the defense policy community, and on the ground to our combatant commands. As the nascent program continues to grow, university-driven Minerva research will further enable critical social and cultural understanding to help decision makers effectively address today's known and tomorrow's unknown challenges." This document from the Minerva Initiative provides the summaries of the projects undertaken by various research fellows concerning a wide-range of topics, including conventional arms control, nuclear weapons, climate change, migration, extremist organizations, and more.
United States. Department of Defense
2011
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Clean Water Act and Pollutant Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) [September 21, 2012]
"Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires states to identify waters that are impaired by pollution, even after application of pollution controls. For those waters, states must establish a total maximum daily load (TMDL) of pollutants to ensure that water quality standards can be attained. A TMDL is both a quantitative assessment of pollution sources and pollutant reductions needed to restore and protect U.S. waters and a planning process for attaining water quality standards. Implementation of Section 303(d) was dormant until states and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were prodded by lawsuits. The program has been controversial, in part because of requirements and costs faced by states to implement this 40-year-old provision of the law, as well as industries, cities, farmers, and others who may be required to use new pollution controls to meet TMDL requirements. Despite controversies, the TMDL program has become a core element of overall efforts to protect and restore water quality. States and EPA develop several thousand TMDLs annually, but many more need to be completed. The most recent information indicates that over 41,000 waterbodies do not meet water quality standards and need a TMDL to initiate corrective measures. The 303(d) program has evolved, and especially during the last decade, EPA and states have addressed more complex issues, including TMDLs involving both point (direct discharges) and nonpoint sources (diffuse discharges) such as stormwater; TMDLs for less-traditional causes of impairment such as ocean acidification and climate change; TMDLs for pollutants such as mercury that involve coordination among water, air, and other environmental programs; and multi-jurisdictional TMDLs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Copeland, Claudia
2012-09-21
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Energy Policy: Election Year Issues and Legislative Proposals [September 24, 2012]
"U.S. energy policy since the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s has been aimed at a long-term goal with three major dimensions: to assure a secure supply of energy, to keep energy costs low enough to meet the needs of a growing economy, and to protect the environment while producing and consuming that energy. A continuing theme during this period has been that dependence on imported oil for a large share of the U.S. energy mix, particularly in the transportation sector, impedes that aim in all three dimensions, but the importance given to import dependence varies. For some, import dependence is the primary concern; for others, particularly those focused on environmental issues, it is a symptom of a general crisis that arises from indiscriminate consumption of fossil fuels. A particularly controversial aspect of the debate is the issue of global climate change, because burning fossil fuels produces large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Like the goals of energy policy, the means of achieving them have three dimensions: reducing consumption by increased energy efficiency; increasing domestic production of conventional energy sources, particularly oil; and developing new sources of energy, particularly renewable energy and renewable fuels, that can replace oil and other fossil fuels. Pursuing the goals of energy policy has been complicated by the diversity of energy consumption and supply in the United States. On the consumption side, there are three major sectors: residential/commercial, industrial, and transportation. On the supply side, the primary sources have traditionally been fossil energy: petroleum, natural gas (and 'natural gas liquids' such as propane and butane), and coal. Electricity, which is both an energy source and a consumer of energy, has replaced some fossil fuels: about 75% of the energy consumed by the residential/commercial sector is electricity, and industrial energy consumption is about 35% electricity. But in the transportation sector, petroleum has remained dominant. Only in the past few years has corn-derived ethanol become a significant transportation fuel, replacing close to 10% of gasoline consumption. A diverse spectrum of generating sources is used to produce electricity. Coal for many years supplied half the electricity generated nationally. In recent years its share has declined; it was about 42% in 2011."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Behrens, Carl E.
2012-09-24
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Oceania's Post 9/11 Security Concerns: Common Causes, Uncommon Approaches?
"The Pacific Island Countries (PICs) generally share a common set of security concerns, but approaches to dealing with them differ. Among the key concerns are internal divisions and nontraditional threats such as climate change and associated rises in sea level. Transnational threats such as money laundering and the smuggling of drugs, arms, and humans also receive considerable attention--including by non-PICs--especially in the post-9/11 context. While the possibility that terrorists will target the PICs is unlikely, transnational terrorism and its effects have had other consequences for the island states. The international community is now more concerned with the potential for the PICs to be used as havens for money laundering and transit points for smuggling. The prospect of a PIC being used as a terrorist training base has also been mentioned, though this is seen as highly improbable. Concerns that some of the PICs are growing increasingly unstable-- even becoming 'failed states'--have increased in the post-9/11 world. Such categorization is too overarching, however. And a blanket policy approach is inadvisable. Action will be most effective in a manner cognizant of the local culture(s) involved. Such an approach will require careful study and analysis but would further enhance communication between PICs and the larger nations and increase the effectiveness of policy formulation and implementation."
Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
Shibuya, Eric Y.
2003-11
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Military Leadership Diversity Commission Decision Paper #8: Metrics
"Incorporating diversity management into the critical business practices of the military in order to optimize its mission readiness requires sustained strategic leadership by the Service Secretaries and Chiefs. Top leaders must transform the military through its vision and values, culture and climate, and structure and systems, as well as through its diversity strategy. To drive this level of strategic change, the Service Secretaries and Chiefs must continuously measure and assess the military's effectiveness using a set of well-crafted metrics. Further, the Service Secretaries and Chiefs should be held accountable to the President, to Congress, and to the American public whom they have sworn to protect and serve. The recommendations presented in this decision paper focus on establishing a set of strategic metrics that would support a sustainable diversity strategy led by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and would allow the Services to continue with their own diversity work consistent with OSD goals."
United States. Military Leadership Diversity Commission
2011-02
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Exploration of Tolerable Risk Guidelines for the USACE Levee Safety Program
"Risk assessment methodologies have been used around the world to provide decision makers with information on the likelihood of adverse outcomes and resulting consequences. Governments are recently moving to broader flood risk management approaches that encompass structural measures and manage floodplain development while recognizing climate change, environmental functions and social factors. Such flood risk approaches consider the probability of a flood hazard occurring; the vulnerability of flood mitigation measures implemented to lessen flood consequences through preparation, response, recovery and mitigation; and the consequences that result from the mitigated flood event. Within that overarching flood risk management context, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is considering risk management approaches for dams and levee systems in order to make better decisions, better prioritize and justify risk reduction measures, better communicate risks to decision makers and the public, and better understand and evaluate public safety risks in an environment of shared flood risk management responsibilities. USACE consideration of risk management approaches includes the potential use of a Tolerability of Risk (TOR) framework, originally developed in the United Kingdom and adapted elsewhere, as well as Tolerable Risk Guidelines (TRG). Tolerability of Risk was developed as a framework for reaching decisions with stakeholders that focuses on the most serious risks consistently, efficiently, and transparently. Tolerable Risk Guidelines categorize the nature of risks in ways that can assist in assessing their acceptability or non-acceptability, and in prioritizing actions for reducing risks."
United States. Army. Corps of Engineers; Institute for Water Resources (U.S.)
2010-03
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Feeding the Dragon: Reevaluating U.S. Development Assistance to China, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, First Session, November 15, 2011
From the opening statement of Donald A. Manzullo: "On September 15th, 2011, the United States Agency for International Development notified Congress of its intent to obligate $3.95 million in Development Assistance funds to 'engage China as a partner in addressing climate change.' This particular notification, while small in the grand scheme of things, is emblematic of the dysfunction in America's foreign aid spending priorities. What is being proposed here, essentially, is that we borrow money from China to give back to China to help it fix its own domestic problems, many of which were created in the breakneck rush to develop. At the same time, these programs help boost the competitiveness of Chinese manufacturers at the expense of U.S. manufacturers and U.S. jobs. In my opinion, this is a fool's errand, and the U.S. Government needs to clean up its own fiscal trail before helping China clean up its environmental mess. We have enough challenges at home without having to worry about U.S. taxpayer monies funding a Chinese Government regime notorious for disregarding international norms of trade, human rights, and the environment." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Nisha Desai Biswal and Donald A. Manzullo.
United States. Government Printing Office
2011
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Technologies to Address: Global Catastrophic Biological Risks
"Infectious disease emergencies can arise with little notice and have serious detrimental and lasting effects on health and society. In the past century, we have seen global emergencies like the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed 50-100 million people; the emergence of the deadly SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome] and MERS [Middle East respiratory syndrome] coronaviruses; and the 2013-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which resulted in more than 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths and had devastating impacts on that region, as just a few examples. As a subset of infectious disease emergencies, global catastrophic biological risk (GCBR) is a special category of risk involving biological agents--whether naturally emerging or reemerging, deliberately created and released, or laboratory-engineered and escaped--that could lead to sudden, extraordinary, widespread disaster beyond the collective capability of national and international organizations and the private sector to control. While rare, the risks of severe pandemics and GCB [global catastrophic biological] events are increasing because of factors like climate change, population growth and urbanization, and rapid affordable global travel. In addition, advances in biotechnology that enable easier and more targeted manipulation of biology increase the chances that microbes may be misused or will become the accidental cause of a pandemic. Yet, while biotechnology does pose some societal risk, investment in the technologies described here, and others, is also an important component in helping to safeguard the world from a devastating biological event. When applied thoughtfully, technology can improve our ability to recognize and address emerging biological problems."
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Watson, Crystal; Sell, Tara Kirk; Watson, Matthew . . .
2018
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Contained or Contagious? The Future of Infectious Disease in Ageing Societies
From the Introduction: "Increased longevity should be celebrated as one of society's greatest accomplishments. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to adapt to the new profile of our ageing society if we are to maximise the potential benefits of longevity. And health systems have a key role to play in this. [...] [A]lthough we've made huge strides in combatting infectious disease, through improvements in hygiene and sanitation, clean water and preventative health interventions such as vaccinations, there is no room for complacency. Recent decades have seen renewed infectious disease pandemics. A number of risk factors are currently increasing the likelihood of future outbreaks: these include complacency around vaccination uptake, lack of awareness of the risks of infectious disease, anti-microbial resistance, climate change and global population migration. In an ageing society, in which more of the population have multiple conditions, there tends to be a higher incidence rate of infectious disease as well as a higher rate of medical complications resulting from disease."
International Longevity Center UK
Parsey, Lily
2019-09
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COVID-19 & Humanitarian Response: Leave No-One Behind
From the Synopsis: "'As more countries become affected by the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease] pandemic, it is important to keep in mind vulnerable groups and those already affected by other humanitarian emergencies such as conflicts, disasters and climate change placing them in acutely precarious situations.'"
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Cook, Alistair D.B.
2020-03-20
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Pandemic Influenza: Progress Made and Challenges Ahead, Hearing Before a Subcommittee on Appropriations, United States Senate, One Hundred Tenth Congress, First Session, Special Hearing, January 24, 2007
From the opening statement of senator Arlen Spector. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On a conspiracy, secret conspiracy, which is about to be made public, the chairman and I have been conferring and he handed me the gavel so that we could have a ceremonial shift in gavel. Senator Harkin and I, who have traded positions as the powers have flowed, have always talked about it being a seamless change in the gavel. So I want to express my appreciation to Senator Harkin for handing me the gavel and to announce publicly that I'm not going to give it back. But on a serious level, it doesn't happen too often in the Senate, Tom Harkin and Arlen Specter have worked very closely together for more than two decades, since Senator Harkin was elected in 1984, and I think that has benefited the American people and the health community and the education community and worker safety and labor, where those three departments are under the funding of this subcommittee. In a contentious political climate in Washington, this is we think the way it ought to be operated. So here comes the seamless transfer, Mr. Chairman." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Tom Harkin, Gerald W. Parker, Julie L. Gerberding, Anthony S. Fauci, and John Jay Treanor.
United States. Government Printing Office
2008
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Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): EPA and State Actions [May 7, 2020]
From the Document: "Many fluorinated and chlorinated substances, including hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are potent greenhouse gases (GHGs). Multiple scientific assessments conclude that anthropogenic GHGs (e.g., carbon dioxide [CO2], HFCs, and CFCs) have been a major driver of observed climate change since 1950. Recent legislative proposals--S. 2754, the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2019, and H.R. 5544, the American Innovation and Manufacturing Leadership Act of 2020--would establish a schedule to reduce domestic HFC production and consumption. S. 2754 and H.R. 5544 would require implementation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and an 85% reduction by 2036 compared to a 2011-2013 baseline."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shouse, Kate C.
2020-05-07
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Pacific Police Department Continuity of Operations Plan for Pandemic Disease
From the Situation: "There have been five influenza pandemics over the last century. The 1918 influenza pandemic is thought to have been the most deadly pandemic in human history, with an estimated 50 to 100 million fatalities. The global and regional impacts of the 1918 pandemic remain unparalleled, causing long-term and widespread social and economic devastation, comparable only to a major world war. In the last twenty years we have seen the 2009 H1N1 (Swine) influenza pandemic, localized outbreaks of H7N9 (Avian) influenza, and several significant non-influenza infectious disease epidemics: SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome] coronavirus, MERS [Middle East respiratory syndrome] coronavirus, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, the Zika virus, and in 2020 an outbreak of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. All of these outbreaks were produced by either a novel virus or appeared in regions without historical precedent. Research suggests that changes in climate, global transportation, agricultural practices, and continued deforestation may increase the prevalence, severity, and transmission of future infectious disease outbreaks. The outbreak of COVID-19 as this policy is written now represents the greatest pandemic threat and calls for urgent regional and global preparation and mitigation efforts. The true severity of the current and next pandemic remains largely unknown as virus' are in a constant state of mutation. This necessitates planning that is similarly able to adapt to dynamic disease characteristics and response demands. The following plan exemplifies this perspective by providing concise objectives, flexible response actions, and a clear delineation of responsibilities. Lessons from past pandemics were integral to the development of this plan, so that we are better able to respond to the infectious disease challenges of the future."
Pacific Police Department (Wash.)
2020
