Sponsors (9)
The resolution provides important scientific evidence about ocean-driven warming, acidification, and public‑health risks that can improve policy, monitoring, and conservation, but that same information signals likely costs and regulatory or management changes affecting taxpayers, coastal businesses, fishermen, and homeowners.
Policymakers and taxpayers: Documents ocean heat uptake and projections of accelerated warming through 2100, strengthening the scientific basis for climate and adaptation policy and funding decisions.
Coastal communities and fisheries: Provides evidence that ocean warming and acidification threaten fish stocks, supporting targeted adaptation, fisheries management, and cross-boundary coordination to protect livelihoods.
Local communities and recreational beachgoers: Highlights increased Vibrio risks and harmful algal blooms, prompting monitoring and mitigation that can reduce illness and protect public health.
Homeowners and taxpayers: Linking ocean warming to stronger hurricanes and storms could mean higher insurance premiums and larger disaster-recovery costs.
Taxpayers and coastal businesses: Emphasizing economic damages (e.g., reef values, HAB costs) may lead to new regulations or conservation spending that increases costs for taxpayers or some businesses.
Fishermen and rural coastal communities: Findings that fish stocks will move across boundaries could prompt restrictive fishing regulations or quota shifts, causing short-term income losses for fishers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Sheldon Whitehouse · Last progress December 17, 2025
States that the oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, presents scientific findings and data on heat uptake and trends, and describes harms to marine life, coral reefs, fisheries, coastal economies, and human health. Highlights specific impacts such as large heat gains in the upper 2,000 meters, projected faster warming by 2100, coral reef economic value, rising harmful algal blooms and Vibrio illness, and stronger hurricanes tied to warmer seas.