New Jersey’s top environmental officer says the state is not ready for the worsening effects of climate change and rising seas.

Speaking Thursday at a state government hearing in Toms River, Commissioner of Environmental Protection Shawn LaTourette said, “We should all be alarmed.”

He says warming temperatures and rising seas will only get worse and New Jersey, its people and businesses need to commit to years of sustained action to shore up the state's defenses.

That includes elevating homes, building storm barriers and using natural solutions like restoring salt marshes and wetlands to absorb stormwater and trap planet-warming carbon.