Region 2
Serving New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Eight Tribal Nations.
Climate Change
Related Links
What You Can Do
Recent News
Across the world, concern grows about the impacts of climate change on our environment and health. While it will take a global effort to mitigate and address those impacts, there is much that can be done in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. See below for information on the potential regional impacts of climate change, what EPA Region 2 and your state and local governments are doing, and on how you can get involved to make a difference.
Region 2 Adaptation Planning
EPA Region 2 drafted a regional adaptation planning in accordance with the Administrator's June 2011 Policy Statement on Adaptation stating, "EPA shall develop and implement a Climate Change Adaptation Plan to integrate climate adaptation into the Agency's programs, policies, rules and operations." Scheduled speakers and events will offer opportunities to engage in the adaptation planning process for public stakeholders. Public comment is open on the federal register under Docket Number EPA-HQ-OA-2013-0568.
Draft EPA Region 2 Climate Change Adaptation Plan [Released Nov. 2013]
On February 28th, Dr. Ginger Chew, an epidemiologist in the National Center for Environmental Health at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented via webinar on how climate change is affecting indoor allergen and mold exposures. Presentation materials are posted below.
Climate and housing factors that affect indoor allergens, mold, and asthma - Dr. Ginger L. Chew, ScD [PDF 1.8 MB, 53 pp]
On Jan. 30th, 2013, Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig of NASA GISS presented on regional climate impacts at the EPA Region 2 office and by webinar broadcast. Presentation materials and an audio recording are posted below.
Climate Impacts and Adaptation Presentation - Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig [PDF 3.3 MB, 33 pp]
Impacts and Adaptation in Region 2:
EPA Region 2 continues to coordinate with the university and federal science research communities in the greater New York Metro area and elsewhere. Here are selected resources which discuss the potential implications of sea-level rise and other climate change impacts.
- National Climate Assessment:
- Climate Change in the Caribbean 2011: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands - Conference Presentations
- Assessing the Vulnerability of Older Americans to Climate Change [PDF 1.82 MB, 27 pp]
- Addressing Heat-Related Morbidity and Mortality among Seniors in New York City
[PDF 1.09 MB, 21 pp] - Public Health Impacts of Climate Change Regional Health Vulnerabilities to Heat, Air Pollution and Pollen [PDF 2.5 MB, 20 pp]
- Climate Change Adaptation in the Public Health Sector: An Overview of CDC's Climate-Ready States and Cities Initiative and the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) Framework [PDF 684 KB, 26 pp]
- The Garden State in the Greenhouse: Climate Change Mitigation and Coastal Adaptation Strategies for New Jersey [PDF, 52 pp, 2.7M]
- Greenhouse Effect, Sea Level Rise, and Barrier Islands: Case Study of Long Beach Island, New Jersey
- Saving New Jersey's Vanishing Shores [PDF, 3pp, 1.3M]
- Climate Change and the Delaware Estuary
- Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region
- EPA's Region 2 "Climate Ready Estuaries"
- Union of Concerned Scientists - Confronting Climate Change in New Jersey [PDF, 6pp, 474K]
- Responding to Climate Change in New York State: Synthesis Report
- Union of Concerned Scientists - Confronting Climate Change in New York [PDF, 8pp, 1.1M]
- Union of Concerned Scientists - Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment [PDF, 160pp, 7.2M]
- State University of New York at Stony Brook - Storm Surge Research Group
- Rising Waters: Helping Hudson River Communities Adapt to Climate Change [PDF, 67pp, 2.5M]
- Penn State University - Consortium for Atlantic Regional Assessment
- Columbia University - Climate Change and a Global City: An Assessment of the Metropolitan East Coast Region
- Columbia University - Climate Change: Solutions For Sustainable Development
- Columbia University - Climate Change Information Resources - New York Metropolitan Region
- The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change Overview: Islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific
- Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes in 2005
What EPA Region 2 is Doing and How to Partner with Us:
Find out about programs at EPA that promote fuel efficiency and other sustainable practices to conserve natural resources and decrease the emission of greenhouse gases.
- Policy on Greening Assistance Agreements [PDF 164 KB, 13 pp]
- Clean School Bus Program
- Northeast Diesel Collaborative
- Green Remediation
- Clean Marine Engines
- Electronics Recycling (e-cycling)
- Green Living
- Green Workplaces
- Green Communities
- Green Buildings
- Green Schools
- The "Green Team" - Promoting Green Construction & Operations
- Greenscaping
- Scrap Tires
- WasteWise
What State and Local Governments in Region 2 are Doing:
State and local governments are actively assessing and addressing the impacts of climate change.
- Climate Showcase Communities Grant: Central New York Climate Change Innovation Program
- Climate Showcase Communities Grant: New Jersey Sustainable Energy Efficiency Demonstration Projects
- Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
- State of New Jersey's Global Warming Web Site
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Climate & Energy
- Sustainable Jersey
- New York City - PlaNYC - Climate Change
- New York City Department of Environmental Protection's Climate Change Program Assessment and Action Plan
- New York State Climate Action Council - Climate Action Plan Interim Report
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Climate Change Web Site
- New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's Climate Change Web Site
- Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre