Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday April 10th Focuses on Adaptation to Climate Change & Preparing for Future Impacts

The Moving Forward on Climate Town Hall Series will continue on Wednesday, April 10th in Toms River.  The second meeting in the series will focus on preparing New Jersey’s communities and economy for the future impacts of climate change.  Following Hurricane Sandy, which impacted millions of people across the state, New Jersey cannot afford to ignore climate change.  Instead we need to take steps to address its causes and move forward in new and innovative ways that will grow our economy, create jobs and ensure a healthy and sustainable future for us all.  As we rebuild in the wake of the storm we need to take action to address and prevent the future impacts of climate change.  These Town Hall meetings will also provide an opportunity for community members to describe how climate change has impacted their lives.

The purpose of this event is to bring together community activists and scientists to look at the impacts of sea level rise to coastal New Jersey.  We have seen the devestation but what have been the environmental impacts and how do we recover?  How do we look at the lessons of Sandy and climate change to help us build a smarter and more resilient coast?

Two Rutgers University professors and a member of the Point Pleasant Mayor’s Climate Action Committee will lead the discussion on how to best prepare New Jersey for future sea level rise, storm surges, and other climate change impacts.  This panel will look at a variety of issues from water quality, to sea level rise, to community response.  

The panel discussion will discuss policies and programs that can be implemented now to ensure our coast is prepared for future storms to protect our families and our economy.  Rutgers studies have found by 2100 the sea level in New Jersey could rise by as much as 58 inches.  The National Climate Assessment found 1-in-10 year coastal flooding events could occur every three years by 2100.  We need to take action now as we rebuild to address those potential future impacts on our communities. 

The Town Hall will also offer an opportunity to share community climate change stories.  Climate Comes Home is a Sierra Club campaign to discuss the human impacts of climate disruption that we are already seeing first hand.  Everyone is invited to share their stories or thoughts on Hurricane Sandy as well.

Climate disruption is not just disappearing ice sheets and displaced polar bears- the consequences are already being felt in New Jersey and will only become worse in the future with more extreme weather events, coastal flooding, sea level rise, and longer, hotter, drier weather.  This town hall conversation  is an opportunity for community members to share their experiences and hopefully inspire their neighbors to take action on this important issue.

These town hall conservations are especially important as New Jersey rebuilds in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  We need to prepare our state to address and prevent the future impacts of climate change.  As we rebuild we can implement green building codes, adopt energy efficiency standards, and invest in renewable energy.

The Clean Energy Town Hall is sponsored by Sierra Club, ClimateMama, 350 NJ, Mother’s Project for Sustainable Energy, New Jersey Sustainable Collegiate Partners, Pinelands Preservation Alliance, and Food and Water Watch.

Upcoming Meetings in the Moving Forward on Climate Town Hall Series

Protecting NJ from Climate Change Impacts: Wednesday April 10th at 7 pm

Toms River Library, Mancini Hall, 101 Washington St, Toms River, NJ 08753

Michael J. Kennish, Research Professor, Rutgers University

Dennis Blazak, Point Pleasant Mayor’s Climate Action Committee

Lisa Auermuller, Rutgers, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences & Watershed Coordinator for the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve in Tuckerton, NJ.

moderated by Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club

RSVP here: http://impactstownhall.eventbrite.com

Impacts of Fossil Fuel Pollution: April 23rd 7pm

City Hall, 280 Grove St, Jersey City, NJ 07302
moderated by Matt Smith, 350.orgNJ

RSVP here: http://fossilfueltownhall.eventbrite.com