[ad_1]
A landmark report just released by the world's leading climate scientists in New Jersey, a state with hundreds of miles of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay.
The consequences of global warming – including sea level and extreme weather like droughts, floods, heat waves and wildfires – are coming soon.
The report, issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, warns that "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society" will be needed. In other words, humans must cut greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible, as fast as possible.
To avoid catastrophe, the rise in the temperature is 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial temperatures. That's much less than the limit when the Paris climate agreement was signed.
In 2015, the scientists thought the most severe climate change would be triggered if the Earth reached 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the pre-industrial levels. But more recent research found global warming impacts will occur much sooner at lower temperatures.
Although the report is alarming, the news is that New Jersey is already working towards lowering emissions in this state we're in. New Jersey's Global Warming Response Act requires us to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
David Robinson, New Jersey's state climatologist, says the state's emissions targets are "a worthy goal".
He advocates a combination of energy efficiency – that is, using less energy – and a transition to clean energy. "If we can reduce our energy consumption and emissions, we set an example and create a healthier environment," he said.
"What we do not have a noticeable impact in the second half of this century," added Robinson.
No matter what happens with emissions, Robinson said New Jerseyans will need to adapt. They will need to take into account the importance of increasing their habitat in flood-prone areas, expanding coastal marshlands, and preserving wetlands and natural dunes that protect coastal communities.
Catherine R. McCabe, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, recently launched an effort to make coastal areas more resilient to the impacts of severe storms and sea-level rise. The plan should recognize the importance of natural solutions, such as protecting and restoring wetlands and forests along the coast.
"It's going to be tough in Jersey," said Robinson. "We're so densely populated. And we cherish our coast; it's part of our identity. "He hopes the new Jerseyans will take the position seriously and support changes to prevent further warming.
The report states that the next 12 years will be especially critical.
New Jersey, under the new Murphy administration, is addressing climate change and has taken a number of important steps, including joining the U.S. Climate Alliance and taking steps to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. New Jersey already in the pipeline, and now in the future.
Governor Murphy offers to get 100% of our energy from clean energy sources by 2050, and is taking steps to ensure the continued growth of solar energy and make New Jersey a leader on offshore wind. It's critical, however, to be able to unneeded fossil fuel infrastructure – such as gas pipelines – that will only add more harmful emissions.
New Jersey is a coastal state at the forefront of climate change, and has a lot at stake.
To read the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report – written and edited by 91 scientists from 40 countries who analyzed more than 6,000 scientific studies – go to http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/.
Michele S. Byers is Executive Director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation in Morristown.
Source link
