Op-Ed: Gov.-Elect Mikie Sherrill Needs to Focus on The Air We Breathe

By: Jill Aquino a practicing nurse and a member of Clinicians for Climate Action New Jersey, as well as ANHE, (Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments). She was a school nurse for more than 16 years.

November 25, 2025 | njspotlightnews.org

There is an urgent need for nurses to play a significant role in mitigating climate change and thus protecting the health of our nation’s children. I started serving New Jersey communities as a pediatric nurse over 20 years ago, and it has become glaringly obvious that our children’s health — one of our most vulnerable populations — is declining at alarming rates due to air pollution and poor air quality.

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NJ SEED: Calling the governor-elect’s attention to the issue of air quality and its impact on children is important, however, the issue needs to be put in some perspective. NJ has come a long, long way in cleaning up its air. As a state with high population density and a history of industrialization, NJ has moved from one of the worst states for its air quality to one ranked in the middle of all states. That’s progress and yes, more needs to be done, but total elimination of fossil fuel-based energy production may not be among the wisest of choices.