No to pipelines, yes to offshore windmills: How NJ could fend off climate disaster – New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio

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Summers as hot as Alabama, sections of the shoreline lost to rising sea levels, saltwater intruding the Delaware river and bay all potentially on the horizon due to climate change, says The Fund for New Jersey in a report calling on the next governor to prioritize environmental protection.

Ed Lloyd, a trustee for the philanthropic group and director of Columbia Law Schools Environmental Law Clinic, said state leaders need to rekindle the leadership that protected the Pinelands, Highlands and Meadowlands.

It is up to the leaders and the people of New Jersey to grasp the scientific realities that face us and take the actions that are needed, Lloyd said.

The third installment of the Crossroads NJ report, following ones focused on state finances and the economy, says the state needs a sustained, well-coordinated effort to prevent climate change from being disastrous for New Jersey.

As the report makes clear, time is not on New Jerseys side, Lloyd said.

Unpleasant but necessary actions NJs next governor may need to tackle

The suggestions include, among other things:

Many of these recommendations are not without cost. Theres no question about that, Lloyd said.

Click here for a link to the report.

The Fund for New Jersey report says by the end of the century, up to 3 percent of the shore is likely to be lost to rising seas, with as much as 9 percent of the coast flooding occasionally. Lloyd said the Shore Protection Master Plan should be updated which hasnt happened for 35 years.

Predating decades of development, predating Superstorm Sandy and predating the latest climate change revelations and sea-level rise, Lloyd said.

Fund for New Jersey president Kiki Jamieson said New Jersey didnt cause climate change alone but will feel its effects before most states.

Because of our geography and because of the dense population, because such a large proportion of the population lives close to the shore, it will absolutely become our problem.

Lloyd concedes towns will resist limits on development but says the state has the expertise to help protect homes threatened by sea-level rise.

New Jersey: Decoded cuts through the cruft and gets to what matters in New Jersey news and politics. Follow on Facebook and Twitter.

Michael Symons is State House bureau chief for New Jersey 101.5 and the editor of New Jersey: Decoded. Follow @NJDecoded on Twitter and Facebook. Contact him at michael.symons@townsquaremedia.com

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No to pipelines, yes to offshore windmills: How NJ could fend off climate disaster - New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio