Free Climate Vulnerability Assessment Technical Assistance
Through the NJ Department of Environmental Protection Resilient NJ Program, Sustainable Jersey is providing technical assistance for municipalities to complete or update a Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (CCRHVA), which is required by the NJ Municipal Land Use Law to be included in the Land Use Plan Element of all municipal Master Plans.
The program is made possible from NJDEP with funding from the American Recovery Plan Act. No direct funding to municipalities is provided.
Participants are selected through a competitive application process. Eligible applicants include any municipal government in New Jersey that has not previously received funded support through NJDEP’s Resilient NJ program.
Application Information
The current application is closed. Recipients will be posted later this spring as well as any future updates.
Please see below for information about our Climate Readiness Program.
Informational Webinar
An informational webinar was held on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. This webinar was an overview of how to conduct a Comprehensive Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment and earn points in the Sustainable Jersey Certification Program.
Technical Assistance
The technical assistance to conduct the climate vulnerability assessment will apply the methodology outlined in the Guide to Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning: The Model Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment for New Jersey Municipalities.
This guide is a resource that walks practitioners and engaged stakeholders through a step-by-step assessment process. The process in the guide sets the foundation for climate-ready municipal master plans, builds local adaptive capacity, and intersects with other municipal planning activities, including hazard mitigation planning, environmental planning, and economic development. Municipal master plans are now required by legislation to include a CCRHVA. The Guide to Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning is designed to help towns meet all the requirements of the law, while launching a process to become fully climate ready.
The methodology in the Guide to Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning evaluates five systems that support the community’s sustainability and well-being. The Systems Approach is shown in the graphic below.
Located in the NJ Highlands Region?
Additional guidance, support and grant funding is available to municipalities located in the New Jersey Highlands region. For a list of Highlands municipalities click here. The Highlands Council has developed supplementary guidance that helps municipalities in the Highlands region incorporate the provision of the Highlands Regional Master Plan (RMP) into their climate change planning. More information is available in Sustainability and Climate Adaptation Planning an Integrated Guide for Highlands Region Municipalities or by contacting Highlands Council Environmental Scientist Sarah Friend, sarah.friend@highlands.nj.gov.
Questions?
For questions, check the FAQ or email Tanya Rohrbach at rohrbact@tcnj.edu or call 609-771-2610.
This program is made possible through
New Jersey DEP with funding from the American Recovery Plan Act
