Credit: (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
File photo: June 20, 2019: Chris Smith makes his way through floodwaters in Westville after severe storms swept across southern New Jersey.
New Jersey released its first major statement Thursday on how the state should respond to climate change, recommending seismic and sobering changes that include moving population away from flood-prone areas; educating the public about the massive task ahead; redirecting state investment toward resiliency measures, and forging an “all-hands-on-deck” strategy within government.
The long-awaited State of New Jersey Climate Change Resiliency Strategy described 125 actions across six policy areas that it said should be implemented by public and private sectors to help adapt to the higher temperatures, bigger storms, heavier rains and rising seas already affecting the Garden State and set to worsen in coming decades.