Scott Fallon and Andrew Ford report for the North Jersey Record
Disease-carrying mosquitoes and ticks are an increased threat in New Jersey because they are living longer lives due to extended warm months and mild winters.
Some of the state’s largest and most popular lakes have been inundated by algae blooms this summer due to an exceptionally wet year and exceptionally warm July.
And fish that once swam in abundance off the coast of New Jersey have migrated north in search of cooler waters.
Climate change is no longer an abstract concept or future threat, scientists say. Its effects are being felt all over New Jersey, from Shore towns facing increased coastal flooding to Meadowlands communities that were ravaged by Superstorm Sandy and inland communities dealing with increased flash flooding from more intense rainfall.
“What we’re seeing lately is unprecedented in the magnitude of the changes and the speed at which they are occurring,” said David Robinson, a Rutgers University professor and the state climatologist, who has been analyzing New Jersey’s climate for decades. “It’s a global issue that has local ramifications, and in New Jersey that’s manifesting itself in rising temperatures and more abundant rainfall.”
Annual temperatures in New Jersey have increased approximately 3 degrees since the beginning of the 20th century. Climate models show two possible futures: one in which greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase (in red) and another in which greenhouse gas emissions increase at a slower rate (in green). (Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
The overwhelming majority of scientists, peer-reviewed studies, and government agencies have shown that the planet is warming due in large part to human activity, such as burning fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and gasoline, which has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, preventing heat from escaping into space.
New Jersey is fast becoming ground zero for climate change. Sea level rise is happening so fast in the state that it’s double the global average, thanks in part to melting glaciers and the expansion of warmer water along with a gradually sinking coastal landmass.
