On Nov. 9, The Pew Charitable Trusts provided written input to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on the agency’s first Climate Change Resilience Strategy, a statewide plan to prepare communities for the impacts of climate change. Development of the strategy marks a key step forward for the state and was informed by the 2020 New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change, which indicated that the frequency and intensity of precipitation and relative sea level rise are expected to increase throughout the century, necessitating prompt action to address flood risk in the Garden State.
In its comments, Pew provided input on implementation and future iterations of the strategy, as well as how the plan might influence investments in locations projected to be permanently or regularly inundated. Pew also commended New Jersey’s leadership for finalizing the plan and expressed support for the strategy’s emphasis on nature-based solutions, such as wetland restoration and natural shoreline features, which can reduce the effects of flooding, lower taxpayers’ costs, and help prepare vulnerable populations for disruptions to transportation, housing, and health care.