HARTFORD — A new report warns that much of the environmental progress made in Connecticut over the past decades could be undone by climate change.
The Council on Environmental Quality predicts the warming climate could reverse efforts to reduce nitrogen discharges into Long Island Sound from sewage treatment facilities and other sources. Greater precipitation that’s expected to come with a warmer climate is anticipated to increase surface water runoff and ultimately overload the facilities.
The annual report also notes how the warming climate is creating optimal conditions for invasive insect pests, including the Asian tiger mosquito and the emerald ash borer.
Plants and animals native to Connecticut are also expected to diminish as their habitat changes. The report points out how the lobster harvest in Long Island Sound is already “near collapse.”
