by Eve Barnett
“There is no longer any credible scientific debate about the basic facts: our world continues to warm,” attested four former Republican EPA Chairmen last week in their New York Times op-ed: “A Republican Case for Climate Action.” Climate change is occurring, and since the science is not contested, the debate around climate change and its future impacts seems to boil down to partisanship and naïveté.
But just in case any confusion still lingers, here are the five most concrete impacts of climate change that will occur in New Jersey – and, by extension, the “best old place of all”—unless serious action is taken.
(1) By the end of the century, temperatures will rise 6 – 14°F in the summer and 7 – 12°F in the winter above historic averages.
As the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases, there will be more heat waves and over-100°F days than ever in New Jersey. Because many dorms (hello, Campbell Hall…) do not have air conditioning, future Princetonians will have to deal with the consequences of climate change on a daily basis.
(2) Between 1 and 3% of land in New Jersey (170-442 square kilometers) will be inundated by the end of the century.
Glacial melting, calving ice sheets, and expanding ocean water are causing the sea level to rise. Only 203 feet above sea level on average, New Jersey is characterized by a flat coastal plain, lacks an extensive river system, and is, therefore, particularly susceptible to flooding. If this flooding occurs, New Jersey will lose much of its quintessential coastline, and Princeton students will have to say au revoir to day trips to the notorious Jersey Shore.
(3) Sandy-esque storms will occur more frequently and become even more intense.
In addition to flooding more New Jersey land, the sea level rise will also cause storm surges to be even more destructive. Shirley Tilghman won’t be around anymore to control the weather machine, so students will need to do more than go to office hours to prevent these impending storms.
(4) More frequent West Nile Virus outbreaks and Lyme disease cases will occur.
As emissions rise, warmer winters and summers occur, and heavy rainfalls punctuate dry summer heat waves, vector-borne diseases will become more frequent. According to a White House press release: in 2010, approximately 3,320 cases of Lyme disease were recorded in New Jersey due to climate change. For those involved in Princeton’s Outdoor Action program, more ticks and, by extension, cases of Lyme disease may create serious problems for OA.
(5) As air quality worsens, pollen counts and the risk of asthma will increase.
Hotter temperatures promote the formation of ozone and urban smog. If climate change is unchecked, scientists expect that in places like Trenton, the number of days with poor air quality will quadruple by the end of the century. In addition, rising levels of carbon dioxide will accelerate pollen production in the spring, lengthening the allergy season and intensifying the risk of asthma-related dangers.
What’s most scary is that we’ve already begun to feel these impacts. In an interview with New Jersey Newsroom, Columbia University professor of Environmental Sciences, Kim Knowlton said, “In some of these impacts, New Jersey has been ahead of other places in feeling the effects [of climate change].”
So what can we do? How can Princeton students work to combat these terrifying impacts?*
- Get involved with the Office of Sustainability, which is an administrative office meant to help make student life at Princeton more sustainable. You can even get a paid position by interning in the office!
- Take a look at the Princeton Environmental Institute—the academic wing of sustainability. Not only does PEI have a certificate program in environmental studies, but also it offers paid summer internship positions both internally and in other organizations.
- Join any of the following student-led groups: Greening Princeton, Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE), Greening Dining, Bee Team, Princeton Garden Project, Sustainable Fashion Initiative
Princeton and the New Jersey community do not have any time to waste. We need to take action — now.
*Olivia Howard ’15–GreenLeader coordinator and student representative on the Princeton Sustainability Committee–helped put together this list.
