New Jersey’s Science-Based Approach to Climate Adaptation

On Feb. 17, The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted comments to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on the department’s New Jersey Protecting Against Climate Threats initiative. In its letter, Pew supported several proposals related to land use and permitting frameworks as proactive steps tangibly bolstering flood-disaster resilience, including evaluating current and future flood risk by watershed and across jurisdictional boundaries, using the best available scientific data to identify areas likely to be permanently underwater by the year 2100, and requiring new development in flood-prone areas to account for projected risk. In addition, Pew applauds the department’s emphasis on using nature-based solutions, such as living shorelines, native vegetation, oyster reefs, and marine mussels, to build coastal resilience.