New Jersey and Climate Change: Making Progress but More to Do
Mary Barber
On Earth Day, President Biden announced an ambitious target to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030, another strong sign that the new administration is committed to meeting the urgency of the climate crisis with bold action. Rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, clean energy investment, and strong, climate-focused appointments across federal agencies are all indicators of new and welcome climate leadership in Washington.
In recent years New Jersey has renewed its acknowledgement of the reality of climate change and the need to act. Despite a strong climate law adopted in New Jersey in 2007, years of inaction left the state lagging behind on climate progress. With Governor Murphy’s election in 2017, that began to change. Upon taking office, Governor Murphy moved quickly and decisively to ignite New Jersey’s clean energy transition that will benefit all New Jerseyans by
Rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multi-state effort to cap and reduce emissions from the power sector and
Passing the Clean Energy Act of 2018 that included a community solar program that expands access to the benefits of solar energy to all customers including low-income and multi-family residents, and a new state-wide energy efficiency program that for the first time sets energy savings targets for electric and gas usage reduction.
Add to this New Jersey’s goal to develop 7500 megawatts of offshore wind, of which the first 1100 megawatts have been awarded and the next 1200 are on track, and the adoption of the Plug In Vehicle Act, which set targets for light duty vehicle and New Jersey Transit bus electrification. We’re starting to get somewhere!
All of these policies and programs are critical to driving down greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution emissions. But they’re not enough.
We must move off of fossil fuels and move quickly. Natural gas accounts for more than half of New Jersey’s electric generation (most of the other half is nuclear. New Jersey is almost coal-free!). New Jersey is moving aggressively to clean up its power grid. As the grid gets cleaner, we need to electrify, electrify, electrify – transportation and buildings!
Because transportation is the highest greenhouse gas emitting sector, there’s no time to waste electrifying/zero emmission vehicles, including medium and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs). Electric cars are now available for prices similar to those of gas vehicles, and New Jersey has a rebate program to help bring down the cost. MHDVs are coming online at a rapid pace, critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the pollutants that disproportionately harm low-income communities and communities of color.
In New Jersey seventy-five percent of residences are heated with natural gas. Transitioning to electric appliances is a crucial next step in reducing emissions. Cold-climate air source heat pumps are available and increasingly cost-effective. New Jersey has incentives available for efficient electric appliances, but new policies and programs are needed to drive rapid adoption of these technologies. If your appliances are approaching the end of their useful life, consider the options for moving to electric.
What can we do?
Join the SOMA Action Climate Committee and stay on top of key climate and clean energy issues and learn what you can do to support aggressive climate and clean energy action in New Jersey.
If you’re planning a renovation or to purchase new appliances, visit the New Jersey Clean Energy Program website to find out about energy efficiency programs and appliance rebates.
With new Presidential leadership and continued leadership in New Jersey, we’re poised to meet the climate challenge with purpose and action, hope and optimism. Working together, we will turn the tide toward a clean, healthy, and safe future.