Sustainably Speaking: Climate Change—What lies ahead for NJ and Jersey City?
/Will we let climate change continue unchecked or will we work together for a safer, more sustainable future?
The first step to solving a crisis is accepting it—and at this point, we all know climate change isn’t some distant, hypothetical threat. It’s here. It’s happening. And it’s reshaping life as we know it. It is now time to understand the extent of the problem and how it affects us. Sustainable JC, an environmental education nonprofit, invited Dr. David Robinson, New Jersey State Climatologist, to provide insight on climate change in New Jersey and what to expect going forward. His findings? Stark, urgent, and impossible to ignore.
New Jersey Climate: Past and Current
New Jersey’s weather and climate variability suggest it is susceptible to flooding, wildfires, drought, thunderstorms, snowstorms, and hurricanes. Dr Robinson, also a professor at Rutgers University, shared compelling data and statistics indicating that climate patterns have altered for the worse in the state. Notably:
Since 1984-2024, precipitation has gone up by 5.03’’ (with a trend of 12.03” /100 years)
In the same period, temperatures have risen 3.3° F (with a trend of 7.7° F /100 years)
15 of the 20 warmest years have occurred since 2001; 19 of 20 since1990
What can we expect going forward?
We will have to brace for extreme weather events, including storms, drought, and high temperatures.
Projected Temperature Change
New Jersey has already experienced significant warming, especially since 1980. Our future depends on emission levels.
If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, temperatures could increase dramatically, exceeding 12°F above pre-1900 levels by 2100.
If emissions are reduced, the temperature rise could be more moderate, potentially staying below 6°F above pre-1900 levels by 2100.
Projected Sea Level Rise
The sea level rise since 200, factoring in the worst and most likely scenarios, projects a 50% chance of about 4-5 feet of sea level rise by 2100. The worst-case scenario (95%) suggests up to 12-14 feet by 2150. Rising sea levels can be catastrophic for Jersey City and other coastal communities.
Precipitation
We expect steady or increasing precipitation with more frequent storms, such as the 2-year and 10-year, 24-hour storms. These storms are expected to see increases in precipitation intensity, on average, of 5% to 15% across the state by the end of the century. Rain events have become more frequent and more severe. This, combined with projected sea level rise, can cause severe flooding in Jersey City.
What can be done about it?
Climate change mitigation requires a multi-pronged approach, which can be addressed by:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants
Increasing public awareness and engaging individuals, organizations, institutions, businesses/industry, and governments to implement sustainable lifestyle, workplace, and policy and legislation changes
Enhancing society’s resilience to climate change
Dr Robinson said an interesting thing - “Climate is what we expect, and weather is what we get.” Right now, what we “expect” and what we’re “getting” converge in dangerous ways.
What can we as individuals do to mitigate climate change? And, importantly, what are we doing to help adapt our lifestyles to the rapidly escalating new realities of climate change impacts, given that the boat has already sailed?
Next Step Forward: Join our next Salon.
