New Jerseyans know: the climate crisis isn’t coming, it’s already here. Recent climate-exacerbated weather disasters serve as cruel reminders of our urgent call to action. These tragedies upend countless lives, uproot communities, and cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year. Unless we take bold action for the environment, the question will remain when the next disaster will strike, not if. New Jersey voters have a moral duty and a collective interest in sustaining a healthy environment for generations to come. Change starts with us.  

As we face down the climate crisis, we’ll need to build resiliency and adapt our communities to withstand its consequences. In North Carolina, California, and New Jersey, we are acutely experiencing the costs of our vulnerability. We must adapt our environment and our behaviors to make conscious, responsible choices for the future. This involves implementing long-term changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the consequences of climate change going forward. The New Jersey Climate Superfund Act (S3545/A4696) is the bold legislation New Jerseyans need to pursue each of these imperatives. It would finally obligate the state’s largest fossil fuel corporations to pay their fair share for the costs of pollution in order to reduce emissions and finance the adaptation and mitigation efforts New Jerseyans need to build climate resiliency. 

Urge your state Senators and Assemblymembers to pass the New Jersey Climate Superfund Act (S3545/A4696) to protect New Jerseyans from the climate crisis and make polluters pay their fair share. 

Background 

The New Jersey Climate Superfund Act lays out an important pathway to building climate resiliency and pursuing climate justice. The UN’s International Panel on Climate Change is unequivocal in their call for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change. Introduced by Senators McKeon and Smith, and Assembly Members Allen, Hall and Collazos-Gill, this legislation aligns with this prerogative by raising critical funds that will protect New Jerseyans from climate-exacerbated weather disasters, make those who profit from fossil fuel emissions pay their fair share, and incentivize a reduction in the harmful emissions that fuel the climate crisis. It is up to NJ voters to support resiliency and recovery on the state level by investing in climate-ready infrastructure. As Senator McKeon, the Superfund Bill’s primary sponsor, has stated, this bill will address “both the climate and affordability crises in New Jersey” to “help make New Jersey stronger than the climate-fueled storms to come.” 

The urgent need to appropriately address the climate crisis cannot be overstated. This groundbreaking legislation would mark a crucial step in the right direction towards a sustainable and responsible climate future. We must invest in the health and well-being of our vulnerable communities so that New Jerseyans are better protected from weather disasters like Superstorm Sandy that have the potential to ravage our state. We have a moral duty to support our communities – particularly low-income and communities of color – that face the unbearable reality of climate change. Those companies responsible for fueling the climate crisis must finally be held accountable for the reckless practices they’ve profited from. The superfund is a key tool New Jerseyans need to fix these broken systems and build a resilient future for generations to come. Let us come together and take responsibility for our shared future by voting in support of the New Jersey Climate Superfund Act (S3545/A4696). 

Jewish Values 

As New Jerseyans, we feel a deep sense of responsibility to take bold legislative action for a healthy environmental future. At the same time, as Reform Jews, we carry a particular ethical obligation to take care of each other and the world that sustains us. We certainly comprehend the urgency of the moment; our sage Hillel reminds us: “If not now, when?” (Pirkei Avot 1:14). With this motivation to action, we seek to fulfill our mandate “to till and protect” the Garden of Eden we’ve inherited, and are responsible for maintaining l’dor vador, for generations to come (Genesis 2:15). As partners in the holy act of creation, we recognize the beauty of the Created world, honor the innate dignity of all life, and appreciate its interconnectedness and interdependence. This underlines our dedication to protecting the Earth and its human and non-human communities, for if we do not, “there will be no one to repair it after” (Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13). Our Jewish texts are also clear on the necessity to redress harm through financial restitution. Our sages understood that victims of wrongdoing were helped made whole through payments for damages, and that moral reevaluation and repentance must accompany these financial obligations (Mishnah Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 1:1). With these teachings in mind, we pursue legislation that aligns with our moral duties and advances our sacred work of tikkun olam, repairing the world.    

For more information 

Visit the RAC-NJ website, or contact Lead Organizer Sarah Blaine or Legislative Assistant Eric Goldberg.

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