Sponsors (9)
Makes and publicizes findings that ocean warming and acidification are accelerating and harming marine ecosystems, economies, and human health.
The resolution supports actions to protect coastal ecosystems, public health, and infrastructure from ocean warming — preserving long-term economic and safety benefits — but those actions will impose costs and short-term disruptions for businesses, taxpayers, and fishermen.
Coastal communities, fishermen, and reef-dependent businesses would retain ecosystem services and economic value — including preserving roughly $3.4 billion/year tied to coral reefs — by protecting reefs and managing shifting fish stocks to reduce long-term economic uncertainty.
The U.S. population — especially coastal residents and seafood consumers — would face lower public-health risks (fewer Vibrio infections and harmful algal bloom impacts) if ocean warming and acidification are reduced.
Homeowners, local communities, and infrastructure operators could see reduced damage and recovery costs because addressing ocean warming may lower the severity of hurricanes and extreme precipitation events.
Businesses and taxpayers could bear new costs from mitigation actions (regulations or emissions reductions) enacted to address ocean warming and its impacts.
Fishermen may face near-term economic hardship and income loss as fish stocks shift across boundaries, creating uncertainty in catches and markets.
Coastal businesses and recreation operators could be hurt by local seafood-harvest and beach-use restrictions implemented in response to expanded public-health threats from Vibrio and harmful algal blooms.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: Recognizing that oceans are warming due to human-caused climate change.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Sheldon Whitehouse · Last progress December 17, 2025
Declares findings that the world’s oceans are warming and acidifying at dangerous rates and describes harms to marine ecosystems, coastal economies, and human health. It reports measured and projected ocean heat uptake, documents threats to coral reefs, fisheries, shell-forming organisms, and phytoplankton, and links warmer oceans to greater risks from Vibrio bacteria, harmful algal blooms, and stronger hurricanes.