Connecticut has always been a leader in climate change research and policy. In 1862 professors from Yale published the results of their analysis of temperature measurements in New Haven. They compared data from 1779-1820 to data from 1820-1865 and found that there was no significant difference. There was no warming.
Unfortunately, data now shows significant warming and higher sea levels, and scientists attribute this to greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions and expect these trends to continue.
Connecticut recognized this problem in 1990, and since then has aimed to reduce emissions. In 2008 the target reduction of 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050 was established. To achieve this, Connecticut joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to incentivize generation by sources that reduce GHG emissions and created the Connecticut Green Bank to accelerate the growth of solar generation. More recently, there have been contracts to purchase electricity from wind and nuclear sources.
In 2015 then-Gov. Dannel Malloy formed a Council on Climate Change to assess progress toward the emissions reduction targets, and to assess the practicality and economic impacts of implementation strategies. The report concluded that almost all transportation, heating and cooling would need to be made more efficient and powered by electricity generated by non-carbon sources. Further, consultants showed that this could be accomplished without damaging the economy of the state.
A decade ago, on Oct. 29, 2012, Super Storm Sandy prompted wide concern about our vulnerability to the consequences of climate change and severe weather, marking the beginning of a rapid expansion across Connecticut of planning informed by climate change. Sandy was an unusual combination of weakening late-season hurricane and fall storm. It created strong and persistent northeasterly winds, very high-water levels and extensive coastal flooding in many shoreline towns. In combination with Hurricane Irene and the Halloween Nor’easter (Storm Alfred) of the previous year, Sandy solidified awareness of the impact that climate change can have on the risks of severe weather.
The legislature acted quickly to require municipalities to include climate change in their planning, and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the University of Connecticut created the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation to assist them. CIRCA, in collaboration with state agencies, won a $54 million grant to protect the South End neighborhood of Bridgeport from flooding, foster economic redevelopment in the area, and to develop similar plans for other areas in New Haven and Fairfield counties. These projects are ongoing and, with additional funds from the legislature, the approach extended to other parts of the state.
Gov. Ned Lamont re-established the GC3 in 2019 and expanded the charge to consider adaptation and resilience, with particular emphasis on the impacts of the energy transition and adaptation strategies on low-income, Black, Indigenous, Latinx people, and people of color (Environmental Justice, or EJ, communities). Last year’s report of the GC3 led to many government actions. An assessment of the vulnerability of the state infrastructure is underway; several state agencies created new staff positions to coordinate action and planning on climate issues; a substantial grant fund was authorized to assist towns to plan and execute projects, and to ensure that EJ community groups could participate in planning and share in the benefits. Since most federal programs require that a fraction of the costs associated with projects (typically 20-30 percent) be borne locally, legislation to help municipalities generate revenue in an equitable way has been adopted.
Much has been done since Super Storm Sandy, but we are at best only at the end of the beginning. The transition to a resilient and equitable society and economy with net-zero GHG emissions will require at least three or four more decades of creative planning and investment. Sustaining and accelerating the change that we have started will require citizens to support political leaders prepared to do difficult things, and to modify some behaviors that have become entrenched.
Connecticut has demonstrated the capacity to develop the innovations in science and engineering that are necessary. But we now need to scale up implementation rates through entrepreneurship, work-force training, and a combination of effective regulation and incentives. Other parts of the world are facing similar challenges. It is likely that the economies in areas that are most effective in preparing their infrastructure for the future will have substantial advantages.
A safe and vibrant future for Connecticut depends on GHG emissions reductions to limit climate change and its impact, and locally appropriate adaptation and resilience actions to enhance public safety and the societal infrastructure that can sustain economic competitiveness.
James O’Donnell is a professor of Marine Sciences and executive director of CIRCA at the University of Connecticut
