Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Understanding Climate Change
These resources provide quick access to a variety of professional learning resources to help educators understand climate science, climate data and the mitigation strategies that are currently being used to make communities more resilient to its effects. In addition, there is access to information about how climate change is impacting New Jersey and the efforts of some New Jersey based organizations working to support climate change education.
- Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Literacy website presents information about Earth’s climate, impacts of climate change, and approaches to adaptation or mitigation. The Climate Literacy guide is available in English and Español. - Climate Change Evidence and Causes
This website explains the physical mechanisms by which changes in the amounts of greenhouse gases cause climate changes. It also describes actions that individuals and governments can take to limit emissions of greenhouse gases and the magnitude of climate changes. - What We Know Initiative
The American Association for the Advancement of Science’s What We Know initiative is dedicated to ensuring that the three “R’s” of climate change are communicated to the public.- The first R is Reality — about 97% of climate experts have concluded that human-caused climate change is happening.
- The second R is Risk — that the reality of climate change means that there are climate change impacts we can expect, but we also must consider what might happen, especially the small, but real, chance that we may face abrupt changes with massively disruptive impacts.
- The third R is Response — that there is much we can do and that the sooner we respond, the better off we will be.
- The Fourth National Climate Assessment Volume I and Volume II (NCA4)
NCA4 is a comprehensive report on climate change and its impacts in the United States.- Climate Science Special Report
This document explores the physical science of climate change. - Impacts, Risks and Adaptation in the United States
This report includes brief summaries about the impacts of climate change on regions and sectors across the United States. - Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration provides the latest data on the vital signs of the planet, including artic sea ice levels, carbon dioxide, sea levels, global temperatures and land ice.
- Climate Science Special Report
- Climate Science, Risk & Solutions: Climate Knowledge for Everyone
This website summarizes the most important evidence for human-caused climate change. It addresses climate change myths, engages in a discussion of risk and risk management, and presents different options for taking action. - How Our Changing Climate Affects Wildlife
David Attenborough’s blog discusses climate change in relation to wildlife. - Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis
This report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change addresses the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change, bringing together the latest advances in climate science, and combining multiple lines of evidence from paleoclimate, observations, process understanding, and global and regional climate simulations. - Climate Smart: Cities Working Together
This video explores how five pairs of cities in Germany and Minnesota are collaborating to develop efficient and sustainable responses to the challenges of climate change. A free Public Broadcasting Service PBS account is necessary to access the video. - Weathered
Natural disasters and extreme weather can happen without warning. Climate change is putting more Americans at risk than ever before. Weathered highlights real stories from people affected by natural disasters across the country and explains how families and communities can be prepared. A free Public Broadcasting Service PBS account is necessary to access the video.
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Climate Change
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection website provides a wide variety of information about how New Jersey is working to address and mitigate the impacts of climate change.- Climate Basics
This webpage explains the difference between weather and climate and why climate change is occurring and its impacts. - New Jersey Climate Data
This webpage features the 2020 New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change summarizing the effects of climate change on New Jersey’s environment and provides data regarding the current and anticipated environmental effects of climate change globally, nationally and regionally. - 2020 New Jersey Global Warming Response Act 80x50 Report
This New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection report evaluates New Jersey’s progress and identifies pathways to reduce green-house gas emissions by 80% by 2050. - Take Action
This website provides information on what New Jersey is doing to address climate change and provides examples of how businesses, households. schools and governments can help. - Climate Change Resilience Strategy
New Jersey’s first Statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy provides recommendations to promote the long-term mitigation, adaptation and resilience of New Jersey’s economy, communities, infrastructure and natural resources throughout the State.
- Climate Basics
- Rutgers | New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center
The New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center provides a wide variety of resources and opportunities for educators and students as they engage in climate change education.- Climate Change 101: A guide for the Garden State
This webpage provides a series of climate briefs that describe the effects that climate change is having on New Jersey and what people are doing to adapt to those changes. - Climate Stories: Experiencing Climate Change in New Jersey
This webpage contains brief videos of experts describing how climate is affecting New Jersey now and what our future may look like. - New Jersey Adapt
This webpage contains a suite of online tools for professionals to use to predict flood risk in a community, municipal snapshots that highlight the potential hazards associated with climate change in specific communities, and a forest management tool. - Conferences and Webinars
The New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center sponsors conferences and webinars for diverse audiences. This webpage provides access to recordings of previous webinars.
- Climate Change 101: A guide for the Garden State
- National Centers for Environmental Information State Climate Summaries: New Jersey
The summaries include topics such as historical climate variations and trends, future climate model projections of climate conditions during the 21st century and past and future conditions of sea level and coastal flooding. - New Jersey Weather Network
This website provides access to a comprehensive collection of New Jersey weather and climate data as well as news stories relevant to residents of New Jersey. - Office of New Jersey State Climatologist
This website offers data sets containing more than 126 years’ worth of New Jersey climate data.
Note About Resources
The resources provided on this webpage are for informational purposes only. All resources must meet the New Jersey Department of Education’s (NJDOE) accessibility guidelines. Currently, the Department aims to conform to Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1). However, the Department does not guarantee that linked external sites conform to Level AA of the WCAG 2.1. Neither the Department of Education nor its officers, employees or agents specifically endorse, recommend or favor these resources or the organizations that created them. Please note that the Department of Education has not reviewed or approved the materials related to the programs.