New Jersey § 26:2c-38

§ 26:2c-38.

The Legislature finds and declares that , internationally , the issue of global warming has caused alarm, awareness, and action concerning climate

changes occurring around the globe attributed to the high level of certain gases called

“ greenhouse gases ”--gases that increase temperatures in the atmosphere and the risk of catastrophic

changes to the Earth's ecosystems and environment; that, while this global warming

may be a theory to some, the effects of increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the

atmosphere are accepted by all respected scientists and the vast majority of the international community as seriously detrimental to the ecosystems and environment

of the world; that, ultimately, if steps are not taken to reverse these trends, the

effects on human, animal and plant life on Earth may be catastrophic; that solutions

exist to halt the increasing of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and reduce these

emissions; that, as a global issue, each country and region within a country must

do its part to reduce these greenhouse gases that threaten the globe; and that, as

a State, there are specific actions that can be taken to attack the problem of global

warming, through reductions of greenhouse gas emissions in the State and participation

in regional and interstate initiatives to reduce these emissions regionally, nationally,

and internationally. The Legislature further finds and declares that, while carbon dioxide is the primary

and most abundant greenhouse gas, other greenhouse gases known as short-lived climate

pollutants, including black carbon, fluorinated gases, and methane, create a warming

influence on the climate that is many times more potent over a shorter period of time

than that of carbon dioxide, and have a dramatic and detrimental effect on air quality,

public health, and climate change; and that reducing emissions of these pollutants

can have an immediate beneficial impact on climate change and public health. The Legislature therefore finds and declares that it is in the public interest to

establish a greenhouse gas emissions reduction program that includes a comprehensive strategy to reduce short-lived climate pollutants and to limit the level of Statewide greenhouse gas emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions

from electricity generated outside the State but consumed in the State, to the 1990

level or below, of those emissions by the year 2020, and to reduce those emissions

to 80 percent below the 2006 level by the year 2050.