CAI-NJ Jan.2020 (w) (2)

“The [Temps] They Are a-Changin”

By Richard B. Linderman, Esq. Ansell Grimm & Aaron, P.C.

F irst, apologies to the venerable Bob Dylan. As he noted almost 55 years ago, change is coming. Change is here. This article is focused on climate change [or glob- al warming or climate variability or climatic fluctuations, take your pick]. But so what? Iit’s a big world! Who really cares if Venice is under water [the Venetians]? So let’s bring the discussion home, right back to the Garden State. Whether or not you believe climate change is man-made vs. a natural occurring phenomenon vs. based upon the earth moving a bit closer to the sun — maybe we can just agree that something measurable is going on that is different from what we have been recording over the past 150 years. Starting with that point of agreement, let’s just pretend that the models a large [vast] number of scientists are using may be correct and then ask, what might climate change mean for New Jerseyans? When in 2019, German authorities imposed a 60 mph speed limit on the Autobahn, that leg- endary highway where you’re allowed to “drive as fast as

you feel safe”, because the asphalt was melting, you knew something was just a little different. [Can you even imagine the sheer anarchy that would erupt if we were actually limited to 60 mph on the Turnpike?] The question of the impact of climate change has been studied by professors and scientists at Rutgers University and other researchers across our fair State. Rutgers’ NJ Climate Adaptation Alliance (the “Rutgers NJCAA”) has been studying this issue for years and publishes significant resources which are available to the public. As often discussed and debated, the expected impact of climate change as modeled would be widespread, but let’s focus on the following areas: Built Infrastructure, Agriculture, Public Health and our Coastal Communities. Built Infrastructure Approximately 60,000 miles of coastal highways in the United States are exposed to periodic coastal storm

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