News in June 2014
Rutgers Climate Institute Co-directors Launch Duke Farms Dialogues on Framing Climate Change Concurrent with NJ Climate Adaptation Alliance Report Release

Duke Farms Executive Director, Michael Catania with Rutgers Climate Institute Co-Directors, Professor Robin Leichenko and Professor Tony Broccoli.
On June 25th, Rutgers Climate Institute Co-directors, Tony Broccoli and Robin Leichenko joined Duke Farms Executive Director Michael Catania, to discuss adapting to climate change. This inaugural Duke Farms Dialogue, streamed on-line and available here, provided natural and social science content as background to the work of the New Jersey Climate Change Alliance which concurrently released the report Resilience. Preparing New Jersey For Climate Change: Policy Consideration from the New Jersey Climate Change Alliance. The Alliance report outlines policy recommendations to enhance New Jersey's ability to prepare for and adapt to a changing climate. The report and links to supporting documents can be found here.
New Jersey back-bay communities experience continued flood risk due to sea-level rise
RCI Affiliate Dr. Michael Kennish is a part of a Rutgers research team exploring bayshore flooding and risk reduction. Sea-level rise puts bayshore communities in New Jersey at continued risk of flooding, even after Sandy. Read what RCI Affiliate Dr. Kennish says about back-bay flooding in this Star Ledger article.
Climate Change as Risky Business
June 24, 2014. If nothing is done to curb climate change, sea-level rise and temperature rise could have drastic effects on American business and industries. Extreme temperatures and water stress will take a toll on crops, and nearly $370 billion worth of properties in Louisiana and Florida will be under water. Read coverage in the New York Times here and the full bipartisan report here. RCI Affiliate, Robert Kopp was a member of the team commissioned by the Risky Business Project to produce the companion report, "American Climate Prospectus: Economic Risks in the United States" and he discusses it here, here and here. A seminar video is available to view here.
RCI Affiliates receive $149,806 NJ Sea Grant coastal storm risk communication award
June 11, 2014. RCI Affiliates Cara Cuite, Rachael Shwom, Steven Decker, David Robinson, and Karen O'Neill, are part of a Rutgers team that will empirically measure the effectiveness of a range of storm-related message variables to develop a best practices coastal storm risk communication guide designed for the unique needs of emergency managers under an award from NJ Sea Grant. For more information about the research click here.
Summer Stormchasing
June 5, 2014. RCI Affiliate Dr. Steven Decker of the Department of Environmental Sciences has led a two-week "Severe Weather Forecasting Field Trip" since 2012, where Rutgers meteorology students follow storms through Tornado Alley. Read about this summer's students and their adventures here.
Proposed Regulation Aims to Cut Power Plant Carbon Pollution Thirty Percent by 2030
On June 2, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency released the Clean Power Plan proposal, intended to meet a 30% reduction in carbon from power plant emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels. The proposal allows states significant autonomy in meeting pollution reduction goals. Read more about the plan in the New York Times article or from EPA here.
Rutgers Professor Leads Research on New Jersey’s Sea Level Changes Through Different Climate Changes in History
June 2, 2014. Gregory Mountain, Rutgers professor of earth and planetary sciences, is leading a team of researchers this summer to examine how New Jersey's coast has been affected by changes in sea level as influenced by climate change throughout history. This research could provide important insights for planners and governments about how far sea levels might rise by the end of the century. More detail available here.