this letter to the editor in today's Anchorage Daily News well depicts the frustration of many with the Alaska congressional delegation's continuing ineffectiveness in addressing environmental concerns:
Demonstrated scientific fact means much more than politicians' opinion
You know, "environment" is like health in that when it's OK it's not much of an issue. When it fails, few other issues matter.
Let me get this straight. Actual scientists -- more than 300 of them -- have devoted careers to studying warming, pulling together massive amounts of data and results of studies that confirm predictions from more than 20 years ago: that aspects of human activity are either causing or exacerbating a potentially catastrophic phenomenon. They finally present it to the U.S. Congress, and what is the response of our Alaska delegation? I believe they essentially said: "needs more study" from Stevens, "I have a different opinion" from Young, and something like "what they said" from Lisa ("Alaska congressional delegation doubts scientists' conclusion," Nov. 21).
"Opinion!" Demonstrated scientific facts mean infinitely more than Mr. Young's "opinion." It is not a matter of opinion. Besides, based on their backgrounds, these career politicians are not qualified to comment on this. It is also clear they are not up to dealing with it. To dismiss facts in this way demonstrates an unacceptably offensive arrogance, and not having any idea of what to do about it demonstrates, frankly, incompetence. Whose interests are they serving? Certainly not those of the people of Alaska when they choose to ignore global warming. Ways forward do exist.
-- Tim Doyle
I was in Nome a few days ago on a business trip. The Bering Sea was slamming the little pile of rocks where the beach used to be and sending spray high in the sky, washing down the windows of the little cafe where we were having lunch. A month before, the sea rolled right onto Front Street, scattering driftwood and debris.
A couple hundred miles to the south, the Native village of Newtok has been losing more than 100 feet a year since the late '90s. The sea is about to swallow the water source, and the school and most of the rest of the town will be gone by 2007. Many of the settlements that stand to be lost have been occupied by the eskimos for thousands of years.
All of these places used to be protected until very recently by sea ice, which insulated and protected the shore from winter storms and the resulting erosion.
The refusal of the Alaska delegation to address possible solutions is unbelieveable.