Title: CELEBRATING THE ANNIVERSARIES OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEARS AND INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL YEAR

Sponsor: Sen. McCain, John [AZ]
(introduced 11 October, 2004)

Latest Major Action: 10/11/2004 Agreed to by unanimous consent.

Text from Congressional records at http://thomas.loc.gov

   Mr. President, IPY and IGY have left a legacy of scientific advancements, new discoveries, and international goodwill that continue to benefit societies today. They have made significant contributions to enhancing our understanding of the processes of environmental change and variability. In order to accurately access and monitor changes in the Earth's climate, environments, and ecosystems, it is imperative that we give adequate attention and resources to understanding these processes. Examining environmental changes in the past will strengthen our abilities to make informed decisions for the future.

   IPY, first launched over 125 years ago, set precedents for internationally coordinated scientific campaigns. Accomplishments from past IPY activities include advancements in meterology, atmospheric sciences, geomagnetism, and technology. IPY also fueled the establishment of the first year-round research station inland from the Antarctic coast by the United States. Planning for an IPY in 2007-2008 is currently underway under the United States leadership of the National Academy of Science, in conjunction with the International Council for Science and the World Meterological Organization.

   Modeled after IPY, IGY was first launched in 1957-1958 and also has been a model for international science activities. Accomplishments from past IGY activities include the initiation of the global space age and exploration of the upper atmosphere through the launching of Sputnik and Vanguard, the world's first satellites. IGY led to the establishment of more research stations in the Antarctic, and to the ratification of the Antarctic Treaty in 1961, which promoted peaceful international collaboration and scientific exploration in the Antarctic. It is my hope that the same research activities will occur in the Arctic region.

   This resolution celebrating the anniversaries of IPY and IGY in 2007-2008 would endorse the concept of a worldwide campaign for scientific activity and expand the scope of past international science activities to promote interdisciplinary research that incorporates the physical and social sciences to enrich the understanding of diversity in life and environmental patterns on Earth. The resolution also would require the President of the United States to submit to Congress a report on steps taken by the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in association with the National Academy of Sciences and other scientific organizations, to ensure a successful worldwide international science year in 2007-2008.

   I urge my colleagues to support this noncontroversial effort to promote continued international scientific collaboration.

    Sen. Frist: Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to this matter be printed in the RECORD.

   The PRESIDING OFFICER: Without objection, it is so ordered.

   The resolution (S. Res. 466) was agreed to.

   The preamble was agreed to.

   The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

S. Res. 466

   Whereas the year 2007 is the 125th anniversary of the first International Polar Year of 1882-1883, the 75th anniversary of the second International Polar Year of 1932-1933, and the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958;

   Whereas the first International Polar Year of 1882-1883, which involved 12 nations, and the second International Polar Year of 1932-1933, which involved 40 nations, set the first precedents for internationally coordinated scientific campaigns;

   Whereas the International Geophysical Year, conceived in and promoted by the United States, was the largest cooperative international scientific endeavor undertaken to that date, involving more than 60,000 scientists from 66 nations;

   Whereas each of these activities left a legacy of scientific advances, new discoveries, and international goodwill that still benefit us today;

   Whereas the International Geophysical Year legacy includes the dedication of an entire continent to cooperative scientific study through the Antarctica Treaty and the inauguration of the global space age through the launching of Sputnik and Vanguard;

   Whereas International Geophysical Year cooperation continues as the model and inspiration for contemporary world science and provides a bridge between peoples of the world that has demonstrated the ability to transcend political differences;

   Whereas it also would be appropriate to use the international science year format to expand the scope of past years to encompass a broad range of disciplines and to recognize interdisciplinary research that incorporates the physical and social sciences and the humanities in enriching understanding of diverse life on Earth;

   Whereas the 35th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year was commemorated by the International Space Year, a globally implemented congressional initiative conceived by the late Senator Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii, that was highlighted by globally coordinated environmental monitoring and research whose ongoing legacy continues to benefit humanity;

   Whereas planning for an International Polar Year in 2007-2008 is underway, under the guidance of strong United States leadership and the National Academy of Sciences and in conjunction with the International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization, with this envisioned to be an intense, coordinated campaign of observations, research, and analysis that will be multidisciplinary in scope and international in participation;

   Whereas an International Polar Year in 2007-2008 will include research on the conditions in both polar regions and recognize the strong links among polar region conditions and the rest of the globe, including the impact on global climate change, as the polar regions have profound significance for the Earth's climate and environments;

   Whereas other scientific bodies are planning additional internationally coordinated scientific programs to advance scientific knowledge and observations from the core of the Earth to the farthest reaches of the Cosmos's effects on the Earth; and

   Whereas it is entirely fitting that Congress takes the lead again, in the same spirit, in promoting global cooperation through worldwide commemoration of the past International Polar Years and the International Geophysical Year with activities reflecting the unity and diversity of life on Earth: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the Sense of the Senate that the President should--

    (1) endorse the concept of a worldwide campaign of scientific activity for the 2007-2008 timeframe;

    (2) direct the Director of the National Science Foundation and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in association with the National Academy of Sciences and other relevant governmental and nongovernmental organizations, to continue interagency and international inquiries and discussions that ensure a successful worldwide international science year in the 2007-2008 timeframe, emphasizing activities dedicated to global environmental research, education, and protection; and

    (3) submit to Congress at the earliest practical date, but no later than March 15, 2005, a report detailing the steps taken in carrying out paragraphs (1) and (2), including descriptions of possible activities and organizational structures for an international science year in 2007-2008.