Climate adaptation funding is essential for coastal regions in the United States, particularly as they face escalating threats like sea-level rise, routine flooding, intensified storm surges, and the growing frequency of extreme weather events. These environmental challenges threaten infrastructure, ecosystems, and human livelihoods, highlighting the urgent need for effective adaptation strategies. Despite the critical nature of this funding, it is often unevenly distributed, generally favoring larger, more populous areas that possess greater adaptive capacities. This leaves smaller, economically distressed communities disproportionately vulnerable—a trend especially evident in New Jersey, where smaller municipalities receive significantly less climate adaptation funding compared to their larger counterparts.
To address this inequity, our report leverages new tools such as the Federal government's Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) to direct funding towards the most vulnerable communities. However, current efforts often simplify vulnerability along a single dimension, overlooking the complex realities faced by various communities. Focusing on New Jersey, our analysis highlights smaller, declining areas like Salem and Atlantic City that face significant climate risks due to limited adaptive capacity, population decline, budget constraints, legacy infrastructure issues, and high flood risks. Through a k-means clustering method, we identify locales across New Jersey with shared vulnerabilities, enabling a targeted and effective approach to climate adaptation.
Our recommendations advocate for a nuanced funding approach that accounts for the unique vulnerabilities of smaller communities, rather than relying solely on statistical risk levels. We propose integrating our findings with existing statewide climate initiatives to foster collaboration, reduce redundancy, and enhance the impact of adaptation strategies. Additionally, we call for filling data gaps with finer-scale, high-resolution data collection and engaging directly with vulnerable communities to validate and refine our models. This ensures that our strategies are grounded in reality and effectively meet the specific needs of these communities.
Our approach aims to encourage the provisioning of the necessary tools and resources for smaller towns in New Jersey to not only survive but thrive amidst increasing climate challenges. By focusing on these often-neglected areas, leveraging detailed, location-specific data, and fostering state-wide partnerships, we ensure a comprehensive and equitable climate adaptation strategy that benefits the entire state, enhancing resilience and sustainability for all residents. This strategic approach promises not only to address current vulnerabilities but also to anticipate and mitigate future challenges, fostering a proactive and inclusive model for climate resilience in New Jersey.
See clustering analysis for identifying smaller cities in New Jersey for coastal climate adaptation