Bill Summary
This resolution acknowledges the urgent issue of rising sea levels caused by human-induced climate change. It highlights several key points, including the acceleration of sea-level rise over the past century, primarily due to thermal expansion of warming ocean water, which accounts for a significant portion of global sea-level increases. The resolution warns of potential future scenarios where average sea levels could rise between 2 and 7.2 feet by 2100, with catastrophic implications if critical warming thresholds are surpassed, risking the destabilization of large ice sheets.
It emphasizes the vulnerability of coastal communities, where a substantial percentage of the U.S. population lives, and the economic impact on regions that generate trillions in goods and services annually. The resolution also details the increasing frequency of severe flooding events and the potential displacement of millions of people due to rising seas. Ultimately, it calls for recognition of the realities of climate change and its direct impact on sea levels, underscoring the need for action to address this critical environmental challenge.
Possible Impacts
The resolution recognizing the impacts of rising sea levels due to climate change can affect people in various ways. Here are three examples:
1. **Displacement of Coastal Communities**: As sea levels rise, millions of individuals living in coastal areas may face displacement. The resolution estimates that up to 13 million people in the United States could be displaced by 2100. This displacement can lead to significant socioeconomic challenges, including loss of homes, disruption of communities, and challenges in accessing housing and employment in new locations.
2. **Economic Impact on Coastal Economies**: The resolution highlights that $10 trillion in goods and services are produced annually in coastal counties. Rising sea levels and the associated increased flooding risk can damage infrastructure, disrupt businesses, and increase insurance costs. This could lead to significant financial losses for local economies, affecting jobs and livelihoods for those who depend on coastal industries such as tourism, fisheries, and real estate.
3. **Increased Flooding and Public Health Risks**: With the frequency of high water levels changing from a rare 1-in-100-year event to a more common 1-in-10-year event, communities will experience more intense flooding. This increased flooding can lead to public health risks, including waterborne diseases, contamination of drinking water supplies, and increased mental health issues related to stress and trauma from repeated flooding events. Additionally, communities may face challenges in emergency preparedness and response, straining local resources and services.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 551 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 551
Recognizing that sea levels are rising at accelerated rates due to
human-caused climate change.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 17, 2025
Mr. Whitehouse (for himself, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Markey, Mr.
Van Hollen, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Welch, and Ms. Blunt
Rochester) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing that sea levels are rising at accelerated rates due to
human-caused climate change.
Whereas tide gauges along the coasts of the United States measure accelerating
rates of sea-level rise;
Whereas the rate of sea-level rise per year has more than doubled in the past
century;
Whereas thermal expansion, or the volume of the ocean that is expanding as
seawater warms, is contributing to rising sea levels;
Whereas the thermal expansion of ocean water has caused approximately 56 percent
of global sea-level rise since 2014;
Whereas the thermal expansion of seawater can cause greater sea-level
variability and unpredictability, increasing the risks for coastal
communities;
Whereas thermal expansion of our oceans will affect century-scale acceleration
of sea-level rise on the global, regional, and local scales, increasing
coastal risks for all people of the United States;
Whereas, depending on greenhouse gas emissions, average sea-level rise could
range between 2 and 7.2 feet by 2100;
Whereas, if the Earth warms beyond tipping points or warming thresholds, the
Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets will be at risk of
destabilization;
Whereas researchers believe that those tipping points could be triggered with as
little as 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming;
Whereas the Earth has already warmed by at least 1.2 degrees Celsius, with
Greenland warming 4 times faster than the average rate of warming across
the globe;
Whereas sea levels are expected to raise by 20 to 25 feet with the melting of
the Greenland ice sheet and by 10 to 17 feet with the melting of the
West Antarctic ice sheet, and both could happen concurrently;
Whereas 30 percent of people in the United States live in coastal areas and are
threatened by rising seas;
Whereas $10,000,000,000,000 of goods and services are produced in coastal
counties across the United States every year;
Whereas $8,100,000,000 of the $62,500,000,000 in damage from Hurricane Sandy was
caused by increased sea levels;
Whereas 3,700,000 individuals in the contiguous United States live on land less
than 3.3 feet above high tide, with most of those individuals residing
in Florida, Louisiana, California, New York, and New Jersey;
Whereas high water levels that were once rare 1-in-100-year events are becoming
1-in-10-year events due to accelerated sea-level rise;
Whereas sea-level rise will shrink fresh drinking water sources in coastal
areas;
Whereas sea-level rise will intensify the flooding effects of hurricanes and
strong storms in the United States, costing lives and money, and such
effects are already disrupting insurance, mortgage, and real estate
markets;
Whereas up to 13,000,000 individuals in the United States could face
displacement from rising seas by 2100; and
Whereas sea levels are rising due to fossil fuel emissions: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the Senate recognizes the reality of anthropogenic
climate change and the role it plays in dangerously raising sea levels.
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