2021 CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION

A congressional concurrent resolution - S.Con.Res.8 & H.Con.Res.31 - which was reintroduced on Earth Day, April 22, 2021, by members of Congress, supports the principles underpinning Juliana v. United States, the landmark constitutional climate lawsuit filed by 21 young Americans, including 11 Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth. This resolution recognizing Children’s Fundamental Rights and Climate Recovery is sponsored by Senator Merkley and Representatives Schakowsky, Jayapal, and Rush, and was originally introduced September 23, 2020 during the last legislative session. 

The resolution recognizes that our current climate crisis is disproportionately affecting the health, economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children which demands that the United States develop a national, comprehensive, science-based, and just climate recovery plan to meet necessary emissions reduction targets.

This plan will put the United States on a trajectory consistent with reducing global atmospheric carbon dioxide to below 350 parts per million by the year 2100 to restore the planet’s energy balance and stabilize our climate system to uphold children’s fundamental rights. Experts have found multiple technically and economically feasible pathways to place all sectors of our economy on a path to reach this target.

Children and future generations from all communities deserve a safe, healthy, and livable planet. Support environmental and climate justice and children from across our nation and within environmental justice communities, including communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous communities, that have contributed the least to emissions and have long suffered from systemic environmental racism and social and economic injustices.

CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING CHILDREN’S FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND CLIMATE RECOVERY (2021)

take action. support the resolution.

  • Visit Congress.gov to learn more about S.Con.Res.8 & H.Con.Res.31.

  • Download the press release about the resolution’s reintroduction supported by 54 members of Congress and 74 endorsers on Earth Day, April 22, 2021 here.

  • Hear what our members of Congress and endorsers have to say here.

  • Check-out the up-to-date list of members of Congress and endorsers of the resolution here.

  • Download the fact sheet here.

  • Download the Senate Resolution here. Download the House Resolution here.

Contact your legislators NOW and urge them to cosponsor the resolution by visiting our action page here.

Then, share using our social media toolkit here.

Endorsements

We are grateful to our more than 75 resolution endorsements from leading climate, public health, children’s, legal, labor, minority, business, faith, and human rights organizations. Check-out the most up-to-date list of endorsements here.

Check out the up-to-date list of endorsements here.

Join us! If you are part of an organization, ask your
organization to endorse the resolution here.

Next Steps

If you are a legislator, learn more about how you can support this congressional concurrent resolution, and other ways to support the Juliana 21 here.

If you are an individual or an organization, contact your legislators and show your support! More details on how to stand with the Juliana plaintiffs can be found here.

Learn more about the Juliana v. United States plaintiffs by reading their bios and watching two short videos: a visit to Congress in this video from the Years Project and this 60 minutes segment.

Questions?  Contact Liz Lee at liz@ourchildrenstrust.org for more information about the resolution.