|
What
we don't know
• The economic value
of the services provided to us, for free, by our natural resources,
such as clean water, air, and recreation.
• The amount of forested
and undeveloped land that is consumed in New Jersey each year.
• The full extent
of the actual quality and quantity of our natural water supply.
• The amount of energy
we use, and that is possible to make, from sustainable, renewable
sources.
• What natural resources
we consume in New Jersey that are imported from other states
and countries. |
Revolution with timber and iron. Our farmland and the aquifers
that fill our streams, rivers, and lakes are among the richest
in the world. But our farmland has dropped, from 2 million acres
in 1950 to fewer than 1 million acres. In recent times, we’ve
begun to protect our dwindling natural resources with mixed
results. We’ve altered as much as 39 percent of the state’s
colonial wetlands, yet have improved our protection of the state’s
coastline from pollution. There’s much left to do.