New Jersey Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) identifies significant risks of chronic inundation for New Jersey coastal communities, with 21 communities expected to be affected by 2035 under an intermediate scenario and over 100 by 2100. The report highlights that major metropolitan areas like Newark and Elizabeth face substantial land loss by 2100 and suggests that limiting global warming to 1.8°C could spare dozens of communities from this fate. To address these risks, UCS advocates for phasing out risky coastal development, enhancing disaster response funding, and creating new policies for managed retreat and relocation.

• Under the intermediate sea level rise scenario, 21 New Jersey communities, including Seaside Park, will face chronic inundation by 2035. By 2100, this number is projected to exceed 100 communities, a figure second only to Louisiana.
• In the high sea level rise scenario, 73 communities will face chronic inundation by 2060, increasing to 131 by 2100. This includes major metropolitan areas such as Newark and Elizabeth, which are projected to have over 30 percent of their land area chronically inundated by 2100.
• Limiting global warming to approximately 1.8°C (the 'low scenario') could prevent chronic inundation for 28 or more New Jersey communities by 2060 and between 45 and 73 communities by 2100, including Jersey City and Newark.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends three policy response categories: halting policies that encourage risky coastal development, enhancing existing disaster response frameworks (such as FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program), and creating new programs to support retreat and relocation from inundated areas.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2017). New Jersey Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-newjersey-fact-sheet.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. New Jersey Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME. 2017. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-newjersey-fact-sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=New Jersey Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME |date=July 2017 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-newjersey-fact-sheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2017new, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{New Jersey Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2017}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-newjersey-fact-sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }