Eustace Statement on Effects of Climate Change in New Jersey

          (LAVELETTE) – Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-Bergen/Passaic), the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee chairman, issued the following statement Thursday after the committee during a joint hearing received testimony on the latest developments in climate science and the impact of climate change in New Jersey:

“Experts who have dedicated their careers to studying climate change today testified that temperatures will continue to increase in New Jersey, and sea levels along the New Jersey coast are rising at a rate that is faster than the global average. They reaffirmed what homeowners, business owners, farmers and fishermen across New Jersey know to be true – that climate change threatens our environment, our economy and our general welfare.

“Local officials fear residents moving out of the state as property values in coastal regions fall. Warming temperatures and drought threaten the livelihoods of those in the agricultural sector. The coastal communities that generate the majority of New Jersey’s tourism revenue are at risk of being flooded. Having witnessed multiple hurricanes, nor’easters and incidents of flooding in the last few years alone, we have a responsibility to invest in renewable energy sources and mass transit, update the state’s shore master plan and rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in order to mitigate the effects we already are observing.

“Opinions are irrelevant when it comes to climate change. This is a global issue that will indeed have local implications. Our duty to ensure the well-being of the people of New Jersey demands that we make smart choices now to make New Jersey resilient in the face of the most pressing challenge of the 21^stcentury.”