Governor Phil Murphy’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience released the final version of the state’s first Climate Change Resiliency Strategy. Murphy’s administration presented a science-based blueprint for protecting New Jersey’s vulnerable communities, environment, economy, and infrastructure from the impacts of climate change.
According to a press release from the New Jersey official website, the plan defines six-state priorities to lead state and local government climate action. It includes over 100 recommendations to reinforce New Jersey against climate impacts such as sea-level rise, chronic flooding, rising temperatures, and more frequent and intense storm events.
Murphy referred to the recent impact of storm Ida as an example of the type of natural disaster the state would face in the future. “Climate change is the single greatest long-term threat facing humanity, and as Tropical Storm Ida made painfully clear in September, New Jersey’s climate change risks are already manifesting across the state.”
Yesterday, we released our state's first-ever Climate Change Resiliency Strategy.
Climate change is the single greatest long-term threat facing humanity, and we now have a science-based blueprint to secure a more climate resilient future for New Jersey.https://t.co/apPECP8hbG pic.twitter.com/5nfQCnRwu2
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) October 13, 2021
“These risks will only worsen in the years to come, with potentially devastating impacts to our communities, economy, public health, and the daily lives of all New Jerseyans. The Climate Change Resiliency Strategy outlines decisive and intentional action that will secure a more climate resilient future for New Jersey,” he stated.
Six priorities
The statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy’s priorities are the following:
- Build Resilient and Healthy Communities
- Strengthen the Resilience of New Jersey’s Ecosystems
- Promote Coordinated Governance
- Invest in Information and Increase Public Understanding
- Expand Resilience Funding and Financing
- Coastal Resilience Plan.
As a framework for policy, regulatory, and operational changes, the Resilience Strategy presents actions that New Jersey’s Executive Branch can take to support communities.
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The plan was developed over the last two years by Governor Murphy’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience, which is comprised of 17 state agencies and charged with developing short- and long-term action projects to promote the mitigation, adaptation, and resilience of New Jersey against climate change.
In addition to the strategy document, the Murphy Administration has also developed a suite of other reports about responding to the effects of global warming. These are the Energy Master Plan, Scientific Report on Climate Change and Global Warming Response Act.
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The plan, which was first released for public review and comment on Earth Day, will be a working document supported by a continued robust public engagement process to address the ongoing climate threats to New Jersey.
Immense challenges
Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs expressed her support for the initiative and her commitment to establish the strategies proposed. “I am committed to working with Governor Murphy to put this strategy into action across state government to make New Jersey’s communities more resilient against climate change.”
“The challenges posed by climate change are immense and, at times, overwhelming, but our Climate Change Resiliency Strategy gives us a path forward to building stronger communities and a stronger state,” Oliver added.
At least 45 people died nationwide in Ida, most of them concentrated in New Jersey and New York.
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