[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 199 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 199

    Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Polar Year.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 30, 2005

Mr. Hastings of Florida submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
             which was referred to the Committee on Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Polar Year.

Whereas the International Polar Year is a year-long research initiative 
        dedicated to the concentrated study of Earth's Polar Regions;
Whereas the Polar Regions are active ecosystems that hold unique information on 
        the past behavior of the Earth system;
Whereas the Polar Regions have grown in economic and geopolitical importance, 
        especially the Arctic;
Whereas the harsh conditions and remoteness of the Polar Regions make scientific 
        study of the regions more difficult than in other areas on Earth;
Whereas the Polar Regions are the darkest place on Earth, and therefore offer a 
        unique vantage point for cosmic phenomena;
Whereas the Polar Regions are highly sensitive to climate change, as evidenced 
        by the fact that the three fastest warming regions on the planet in the 
        last 2 decades have been Alaska, Siberia, and parts of the Antarctic 
        Peninsula, raising real concern for the future of polar ecosystems;
Whereas there is a need to re-establish and enhance operational observing 
        systems in the Polar Regions to capture contemporary information on 
        change;
Whereas recently developed technologies are able to offer new and innovative 
        methods to further study climactic changes;
Whereas the International Polar Year will give scientists a defined period polar 
        ``snapshot'' and provide a crucial benchmark for detecting and 
        understanding change in comparison with past and future data sets;
Whereas the timescale allows advances in technology and logistics to be 
        exploited to address new issues and access new areas;
Whereas the International Polar Year provides an opportunity for observations in 
        Polar Regions throughout all seasons;
Whereas an intensive, coordinated burst of effort will accelerate advances in 
        geological knowledge and understanding;
Whereas 3 such initiatives within the scientific community over the past 125 
        years have yielded unprecedented exploration and discoveries in many 
        fields of research and fundamentally changed how science was conducted 
        in the Polar Regions;
Whereas the legacy of enhanced observing systems generated by the International 
        Polar Year will provide an improved foundation for ongoing monitoring;
Whereas an International Polar Year from 2007-2008 presents a unique opportunity 
        to educate and engage a new generation of young Earth System scientists;
Whereas we still remain remarkably ignorant of many aspects of how polar climate 
        operates and its interaction with polar environments, ecosystems, and 
        societies; and
Whereas to have any hope of understanding the current and future global climate, 
        the scientific community needs an enhanced picture of conditions at the 
        poles and how they interact with and influence the oceans, atmosphere, 
        and land masses; Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes that encouraging and supporting 
        International Polar Year is not only beneficial but crucial to 
        our understanding of the Earth's environment; and
            (2) encourages the United States to support funding and 
        research for the International Polar Year and of the Polar 
        Regions.
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