Dear Editor:
It’s great that the state of New Jersey is getting involved with the fight against climate change but we need the federal government to take action. As noted in the article, “Hudson County is the champ in projected climate change damages”, global emissions are one of the main reasons climate change exists, and immediate action should be taken to mitigate the effects of coastal flooding, beach erosion, and property damage in the billions that will follow with each impending storm.
As mentioned in the article, these problems aren’t unique to New Jersey — they affect the entire Northeast region. This is why we need to extend the climate change effort nationwide. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act is a bi-partisan bill in Congress that proposes a reduction of carbon emissions by 40 percent within 12 years. This month, volunteers with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a non-profit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change, will be in Washington meeting with members of Congress to spread awareness of this bill and to gain support. CCL volunteers have held 1,131 meetings with congressional offices so far this year to bring the parties together on climate change. That message is amplified with thousands of constituent letters and phone calls.
Efforts such as The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act need to gain more momentum in order to make lasting impact on our environment. I urge every NJ congressional leader to co-sponsor this bill in order to make the Garden State a much better place to live. We cannot wait for the next Superstorm Sandy to take action against climate change.
Madison Schaefer
