To: Governor Phil Murphy

Chris Christie: Stop Playing Politics With Climate Change

Acknowledge that climate change is real, caused by humans, and putting New Jersey residents in danger from bigger storms and sea level rise.

Why is this important?

Gov. Christie, my name is Alyssa Durnien and I’m a New Jersey Sandy survivor. In my town of Keansburg, we lost 1100 houses out of 1900. I worked on the evacuation, search and rescue, living out of the firehouse for 14 days. We’ve been working together to fix houses, cook meals, fight the mold. Even now, there are still people without electricity in my town. We’re doing what we can to keep the Jersey shore strong, but we need you to be a responsible leader, responding to immediate needs and planning for future threats.

When you stood with President Barack Obama in the days after the storm, I thought you recognized that Superstorm Sandy was more important than partisan politics. It’s unquestioned — by scientists if not by politicians — that the sea level rise caused by global warming pollution made Sandy worse. So that’s why I was shocked to hear you attack a reporter for her “liberal public radio agenda” when she asked what you’re doing to prepare New Jersey for climate change.

I thought you knew your job is to prepare New Jersey for the more intense storms and sea level rise that scientists have predicted for decades and that are now upon us.

I thought you knew your job is to help New Jersey reduce the threat of climate change by fighting the pollution that is changing our weather.

I thought you knew your job is to keep the people of New Jersey safe, but now it sounds like you want to be the next Sarah Palin instead.

Please, don’t play politics with our lives.