Politics & Government

Report: Extreme Weather Events More Likely, More Often

Environmental New Jersey is calling for efforts to reduce carbon pollution.

On an interactive map of the United States that records the number of extreme weather events that have taken place over the last several years, New Jersey might as well be the black eye. 

The red, purples and magentas that color each of New Jersey’s 21 counties make up the wrong end of the weather-related disaster spectrum, marking the entire state as a recurring extreme weather target. Should nothing be done to curb pollution and carbon emissions, a recent report from Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center details, expect that trend to continue.

Just off of the beach in Long Branch Tuesday, with temperatures coincidentally hovering around an unseasonable 80 degrees, several officials gathered to discuss the new report, called “In the Path of the Storm,” and share their hopes for affecting environmental change before it’s too late.

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“All (of New Jersey’s) counties have experienced at least five (extreme weather events) in the past six years,” Dan DeRosa, field organizer with Environmental New Jersey, said. “What we’re seeing is global warming influencing extreme weather; not just along the Jersey Shore, all across the country.”

The report covers just a small window – the last seven years – but uses both data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to track recent disasters as well as the latest science to project the relationship of global warming to rising temperatures, worsening storms, and heavy rain and snow, among other signs of a changing climate.

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The purpose of the report isn’t to prove global warming, DeRosa said of its short coverage window, but to reinforce that fact that it’s already here.

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Middlesex County experienced six extreme weather events from 2007 to 2012, according to Environment New Jersey's interactive map.

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As New Jersey’s residents continue to rebuild following Hurricane Sandy, the most catastrophic storm to ever hit the state, steps need to be taken to ensure that the worst storm ever doesn’t become just one of the worst storms ever. Though it may be impossible to turn back the dial on climate change and global warming, its progression can be stemmed.  

But the effort needs help.

Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat representing New Jersey's 6th Congressional District, said he’s still amazed by the destruction wrought by Sandy, even five months after the storm. As daunting as the prospect of similar storms striking in the future is, Pallone says, so too is the continuing opposition of Republican opponents in Congress, who reject the science of climate change. 

Pallone cites reports showing the past 10 years as the hottest on record since temperature recording began. Despite such evidence, Pallone said, efforts to even discuss new legislation aimed at curbing pollution have been blocked by conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives, many with ties to the Tea Party.

“If you’re denying that this is happening,” Pallone said of global warming. "You’re sticking your head in the sand.”

President Barack Obama has come out in favor of pollution-reducing legislation and a cap-and-trade system that would cut greenhouse gas emissions by effectively requiring pollution producers to cut back on carbon emissions or else face having to pay to exceed the capped limit. Pallone said House Democrats and some moderate Republicans are also onboard.

According to the Environment New Jersey report, four out of every five Americans have been impacted in some way by an extreme weather event, whether that be a hurricane, flood, or a prolonged drought, among other events.

The public is aware of the change, Pallone believes, and while most Americans are likely in favor of efforts to reduce pollution, concerns about the economy, employment and other, more immediate issues in their lives, likely distract from the global warming discussion. By fostering clean energy legislation and promoting renewable resources, Congress can both slow climate change and aid the economy, Pallone said.

In New Jersey, DeRosa said the State should consider reentering the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, otherwise known as RGGI. The 10-state cooperative is designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by charging power producers who exceed an emissions cap a surcharge, which is then passed on to the ratepayers. Gov. Chris Christie vetoed New Jersey’s participation in the program after saying it failed to reach the lofty goals it advertised.

Be it RGGI or a federally-mandated program, there needs to be an effort to fight global warming, Dave Pringle, campaign director with New Jersey Environmental Federation said, as well as those who deny climate change.

“They need to come up with solutions or get out of the way,” Pringle said.


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