Washington, D.C. – Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) applauded Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu of the International Arctic Research Center for his work and research into global climate change issues. Following are the remarks made by Chairman Stevens today on the Senate floor:

Mr. President, The Voice of the Anchorage Times printed an article authored (see link below) by my good friend, Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu. Dr. Akasofu is director of the International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks. He is one of the world’s leading experts on Arctic science and global climate change.

Given the interest that some of our colleagues have recently shown in this subject, I ask that Dr. Akasofu’s article be entered into the Congressional Record.

I trust Dr. Akasofu’s research and opinions. He has published more than 550 articles and is the author or co-author of 10 books. His work has shown that he is an expert in Arctic research. It has shown that while there is little doubt the earth’s temperature is changing, there is still much debate about what is causing this change.

In his article, Dr. Akasofu says that the “[o]ne thing we do know is that there is no definitive scientific proof that all of the present global warming is attributable to humans, or caused by the greenhouse effect.”

Some of the changes we are seeing are the most recent stage in a historic evolution. In Alaska, our glaciers have been receding since 1800, long before the advent of so-called greenhouse gases.

In the past 100 years, the sun has been giving off additional energy, which is likely responsible for one-third of the .6 degree Celsius increase in global temperature.

And there is the so-called Atlantic and Pacific oscillation that may be dumping more heat, that is warm ocean water, into the Arctic Ocean.

Changes in climate and weather patterns are not isolated events. They are part of long-range, historic trends. One cannot arrive at sound conclusions about the causes just by observing the changes, which occur in their own lifetime. Reliable conclusions can only be reached by sound science and the kind of research being conducted by Dr. Akasofu and his staff.

We must not substitute our own casual judgments for sound science. This will only lead to confusion, and Dr. Akasofu has warned that, “The danger from such confusion and hysteria may be even greater than from global warming itself.”

The effects of global climate change are real. Regardless of the cause, changes are underway in Arctic regions, including Alaska, and we must deal with these effects. But, we must also allow the scientists to reach scientifically-based conclusions on what is causing this phenomenon.

The basic problem we face is distinguishing between natural causes and human impact. The Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Global Climate Change, chaired by Senator (David) Vitter (R-La.) and co-chaired by Senator (Frank) Lautenberg (D-N.J.), held a hearing on Global Climate Change Policy in July. During that hearing, I asked Dr. James Mahoney, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy NOAA Administrator, about this distinction. He told me, “there are… political arguments that want to go in one extreme or the other. The scientific argument is much more complicated in the middle.”

Figuring out what really is happening in the Arctic will be very important to answering the overall question of global climate change, and I am dedicated to pursuing this. As far as the United States is concerned, the evidence of global climate change is more apparent in Alaska than anywhere else. We should prepare for its effects, but I want to seek sound science before we enact policies aimed at its causes.

We have created two subcommittees on the Commerce Committee that deal in some way with global climate change, and we will continue on our Committee to address this issue. But I think it is very dangerous to make – as Dr. Mahoney called them – the “political arguments.” We must follow science on this issue. And I commend Dr. Akasofu for leading those efforts.