Climate and Energy

“Sixty-two thousand homes along New Jersey’s coast will experience chronic flooding by 2050,” said Diane Schrauth, Water Policy Director at New Jersey Future, during the 2025 NJ Planning & Redevelopment Conference (NJPRC). That will be the material reality for tens of thousands of New Jerseyans who will face skyrocketing flood insurance rates, loss of property value, and, eventually, displacement.

April marks Armenian History Month, a time to honor the deep roots, resilience, and culture of the Armenian people. For many of us in the diaspora, especially here in New Jersey, this month reminds us to reflect on our ancestors’ strength and survival. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our contributions to this country and recommit to building a better future — one shaped by remembrance and justice.

Elizabeth is nestled on the shore of Newark Bay in Union County, a dense, urban enclave in the heart of the Meadowlands estuary and wetlands. Our neighbors include: the Newark Liberty International Airport, where planes fly by my apartment multiple times a day creating noise nuisance.

2023 was a year full of many unpredictable environmental events ranging from major rainfall to extreme heat to a collapsed highway overpass. Our daily newsletter “What We’re Reading” brings our readers the most up-to-date articles covering our New Jersey Future issue areas and major developments in the Garden State.

“Lenape means ‘the original human’, and that is where we need to get back to,” Chief Vincent Mann expressed, adding, “[reconnecting with the land] would provide us a way to encourage the people of tomorrow to take what we are sacrificing to create for them to further the future.” Indigenous people have a rich history of interacting in harmony with the environment.

A one-hour webinar explaining a new, parcel-based tool that assesses financial vulnerability to coastal flooding and sea-level rise. Friday, May 15, 2015, noon – 1:00 pm.

An interim report, three years after Hurricane Sandy, on New Jersey Future’s groundbreaking local recovery planning manager program, including lessons learned and recommendations. October 2015.

Oct. 28, 2014 — Two years after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy, many of New Jersey’s coastal communities continue to struggle with recovery and rebuilding efforts. The highest community priority is to get people back into their homes, re-establish business operations and return to life as close to normal as possible. The elected officials who have led these efforts are hardworking heroes. But it’s also clear that recovery decisions made without a clear understanding of future risks can move people back into harm’s way, build infrastructure that will be damaged again, and waste taxpayer dollars.

Sept. 4, 2013 — Of all the recommendations that came out of President Obama’s Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Strategy, there is one that will help inform much of the other recovery planning that is currently being done: Incorporate projected sea-level rise into all decision-making.

2016 Smart Growth Awards: A large-scale, integrated design strategy will manage water along the Hudson riverfront, for both disaster mitigation and long-term growth, delivering multiple community co-benefits.