HARTFORD – Connecticut’s air, water, wildlife and human health are showing the effects of warming temperatures and heavier rainfalls, the hallmarks of a changing climate, according to the state Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
       Each year, the CEQ publishes the state’s environmental quality report. The report for 2017 was submitted to Governor Dannel P. Malloy yesterday.
       In her letter to Governor Malloy, Council Chair Susan Merrow of East Haddam said, "As you know, one major factor influencing most of these environmental quality indicators is the changing climate. In most cases, warming temperatures and episodic rainfall hinder Connecticut's mission to improve air and water quality.
        "This year's report includes a new feature: for every indicator that is affected by climate change (which is nearly all of them), the reader will find a link to "Climate Notes" with more information that explains the relationship."
       This year's report also introduces a new section called "Invasions." Merrow said. One consequence of a warming climate is wave after wave of invasive pests. "Invasions" is the new section that documents this phenomenon, beginning this year with charts showing the remarkable incursion of Asian tiger mosquitoes into Connecticut."
       The report summarizes 2017 in this way: "As in many recent years, each improvement of 2017 was countered by a step backward in another part of the environment. Air was better, beaches were closed more often. More eagles, fewer bats. And so on."
       "There is a reason that Connecticut residents' continued commitment to a more healthful environment does not yield quicker, more satisfying results: Connecticut's location in a changing climate. Connecticut residents take pride in the unique history and beauty of their state. There is uniqueness in Connecticut's challenges, too. The seas of the world, for example, are rising everywhere, but nowhere more quickly than the shores of New England. That is just one challenge."
        The report notes that climate change is not the only hindrance to environmental progress: "Public investment in the land and wildlife of Connecticut is vitally important. There has been improvement in the acreage of farmland preserved in the last three years, but Connecticut is not on track to attain its land-conservation goals."
       The reader also will find references to the public trust in the air, water, wildlife and other natural resources of Connecticut, an essential ingredient of this state's environmental progress.
        “We will continue to consult climate change experts,” Merrow concluded. “Many people have come to rely on our reports for accurate and unbiased data on Connecticut’s environment, so we will make sure that all new climate change information is updated and reliable.”

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