By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Saying “now is the time for bold action,” Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday he’s “fast-tracking” New Jersey’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to protect the state from climate change.
Murphy has set a lofty goal of creating a 100% clean-energy economy in the Garden State, with an 80% reduction in state-generated greenhouse gases, by 2050.
Under an executive order he signed Wednesday, the Democratic governor is accelerating the latter goal to 50% by 2030, the end of this decade. That brings New Jersey’s goals more in line with federal benchmarks set by Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.
Murphy said it’s especially necessary to find ways to fight climate change immediately as New Jersey continues to face destructive storms such as Hurricane Ida. That storm killed 30 residents and damaged homes across the state in September.
“The science is clear,” he said before signing the executive order at an event in Mount Olive. “More severe impacts are happening now. The time for wakeup calls if frankly long past. And while we can’t turn back the clock, we also can’t keep hitting snooze.”
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