SOMERVILLE, NJ – The Somerset County Board of Commissioners passed a Resolution endorsing quick and effective efforts at all levels of public and private life to address the devastating impact of climate change on our communities. The Resolution clearly lays out the threat to Somerset County and the world and endorsed four major goals for local, county, state, and federal governments to reach for when developing strategies and programs to protect their citizens.

“The devastating flooding in Manville, Bound Brook, Raritan, Somerville, Hillsborough, and other communities from Hurricanes Floyd, Irene and Ida shows that such storms are becoming more frequent and more severe.  It’s clear the impacts of climate change are already here and affecting our economy, our homes, and even our lives,” said Commissioner Paul Drake. “It is well past time for all of us to have a conversation on how we will personally and collectively fight to reduce and reverse the impact of human-induced climate change.”

The Resolution notes that the scientific consensus is that climate change is significantly impacted by human activities, and that only with concerted and coordinated efforts can the threat to all of humanity be ameliorated. The Commissioners unanimously endorsed the following goals and encourage all levels of government to adopt them as they work to address climate change:

1. End Emissions Achieve the net-zero GHG emission targets called for by scientific and international bodies, including the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency. Although the specific objectives for nations and economic sectors will evolve with new data, analysis, experience, and technologies, we must hold overall global warming to 1.5°C to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change.
2. Cool Back Down Discover and deploy best practices and effective technologies to remove as much CO2 from our air and waters and permanently store as is required to return the Earth to the temperatures of the late 1800s. We must not accept a “new normal” of higher temperatures that will continue to melt polar and glacial ice, thaw the permafrost, and drive disruptive weather, including catastrophic floods, drought, wildfires, famine and disease.
3. Minimize the Pain Acknowledge and address the job losses caused by decarbonization. Make the lands and waters inhabited or used by humans and other species, as well as the ecosystems and activities they rely upon, less vulnerable or more resilient to the now unavoidable impacts of climate change.
4. Create a Fairer Environment Fossil fuel pollution and global warming have injured low-income communities and communities of color more than middle- and high-income communities. As we restructure our relationship to our planet Earth, we should end that inequality.

Somerset County is recognized as a leader in addressing climate change through our regional planning efforts and the work of the Somerset County Energy Council. Currently, the County is engaged in or is in the planning stages for:

• Regularly increasing energy efficiency at County buildings and facilities.
• Updating the County Master Plan’s Circulation Element to advance strategies and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support the electrification of the transportation system, and enhance the resiliency of the County’s complete streets network.
• Advancing the initial recommendations of the Greening Economy Task Force to support the creation of “green jobs” via workforce development and vocational education initiatives to ensure the County, the Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School, and Raritan Valley Community College are leaders in the Green Economy.
• Exploring opportunities to implement carbon sequestration strategies through the promotion and funding of agriculture and forest restoration projects, open space acquisitions, and other environmental restoration/stewardship activities.
• Developing plans and funding projects that promote walk-ability, bike-ability and public transportation to reduce auto dependency, support downtowns, and affordable housing.
• Implementing electric cars at the County and public charging stations throughout the County.
• Purchasing and preserving vulnerable environmentally sensitive lands and habitats for environmental protection and flood mitigation.

For more information on Somerset County’s sustainability efforts and programs, contact Walter C. Lane, AICP/PP, Director, Somerset County Office of Planning, Policy and Economic Development at PlanningBd@co.somerset.nj.us or call 908-231-7021.

The Somerset County Office of Planning, Policy and Economic Development helps government officials, business leaders, and citizens create communities that offer better choices for where and how people work and live by positively influencing the process of growth and change in the County. This Office also helps build an optimum living and working environment for residents and employers by protecting the natural environment and preserving the County’s rich history, farmland and natural beauty.

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