By: Priyam Nayak
August 20 2020
True: Joe Biden introduced one of the first climate bills in Congress.
Share Article:
Fact-Check
The Verdict True
Joe Biden introduced the Global Climate Protection Act of 1987, which had not passed. It survived as an amendment to a State Department funding bill.
Claim ID 88de9342
Joe Biden introduced the Global Climate Protection Act of 1987, which had not passed. It survived as an amendment to a State Department funding bill.While serving as a senator for Delaware, Joe Biden had introduced the Global Climate Protection Act of 1987 on January 29, 1987. According to a document available on the U.S. government publishing office portal, which contains the official records of the proceedings of the Senate on that day, the Global Climate Protection Act was 'A bill to initiate a United States strategy and to further multilateral action, in response to the problem of global warming; to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.' Although the bill did not pass, it survived as an amendment to a State Department funding bill. Biden's amendment became law when Reagan signed the Foreign Relations Authorization Act on December 12, 1987. As per the conference report filed in the House pertaining to the Relations Authorization Act which is available on congress.gov, the agendas of the Global Climate Protect included: increase worldwide understanding of the greenhouse effect and its consequences; foster cooperation among nations to coordinate research efforts concerning such effect, and identify technologies and activities that limit mankind's adverse effect on the global climate. It also incorporated objectives like directing the Secretary to promote an International Year of Global Climate Protection and urging the President to accord the problem of climate protection a high priority on the agenda of U.S.-Soviet relations. Before that, on December 16, 1985, a Democratic senator named Al Gore introduced a non-binding concurrent resolution - which is a non-bonding legislative measure – which requested the President to establish a cooperative international research program concerning the greenhouse effect of increased concentration of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. It was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Hence Joe Biden was the first to introduce a climate change bill in Congress.