WEATHERING CHANGE:
Local Solutions for Strong Communities
2020-21 Webinar Series
Enhancing Opportunities for Socially Vulnerable Populations to have “A Seat at the Table” in Climate Resilience Planning

Thursday, September 17, 2020 - 12:00 - 1:15 PM ET
While all people living in the United States are affected by climate change, some communities and some populations are more vulnerable to changing climate conditions than others. Extensive research here in the United States and across the world points to populations of concern including those that are low-income, people of color, immigrant populations, people with limited English proficiency, Indigenous people, older adults and children, people with disabilities and compromised health and mental health conditions, and others.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Coastal Management Program received a Project of Special Merit (PSM) grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as part of NOAA’s Resilient and Sustainable Coastal strategy. The Project of Special Merit, A Seat at the Table: Integrating the Needs and Challenges of Underrepresented and Socially Vulnerable Populations into Coastal Hazards Planning in New Jersey, was designed as a collaborative effort among the NJDEP, NOAA and the Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station

The project objectives were to:
  • Update and enhance access to data for practitioners to identify socially vulnerable populations as part of coastal community climate resilience planning;
  • Develop a web-based training curriculum to inform and support practitioners’ efforts to engage socially vulnerable populations as part of coastal community climate resilience planning;
  • Offer options for changes in coastal management policies that will support engagement of socially vulnerable populations in coastal climate resilience planning.

This webinar is designed to introduce participants to the multiple outcomes of this project, including demonstrating the produced data tools, providing an overview of the publicly available web-based training, and offering insights to public policy options to advance systematic integration of socially vulnerable populations into climate resilience planning.
Presenters: 
Jeanne Herb, Executive Director, Environmental Analysis and Communications Group, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Lisa Auermuller, Assistant Manager-Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve
WEATHERING CHANGE: Local Solutions for Strong Communities is a webinar series presented by Antioch University New England, in partnership with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

For more information, or to view recordings of past webinars. visit our website: www.communityresilience-center.org
Want to learn more about the science of our changing climate?
Register for our next 4-week online course:
Climate Impacts: Communication, Facilitation, and Stakeholder Capacity Building

October 4 to 31, 2020
Registration Deadline: September 29, 2020
Instructor: Christa Daniels

There is broad scientific consensus that climate change is occurring and is caused by human actions. However, there is limited implementation of climate adaptation to help create resilient local communities. Local and regional governments have access to a wide range of resources that can help them become more resilient to climate impacts. Even with this information, communities still face significant barriers bridging the gap from planning to action.

In order to sufficiently engage the public on climate change, it is important to understand how people relate to this issue. In particular, what prompts individuals to take action or become involved in an issue. If we are looking for community members to collaboratively solve complex issues to achieve climate resilience, then we need to have a thorough understanding why people engage in an issue or specific behaviors.

This module will provide guidance on how to effectively engage the general pubic in order to build the political will and public support needed for implementation. Learn how to identify and implement an effective communication and engagement strategy through evidence-based tactics, including a stakeholder process that can be used to develop place based responses. The course will also touch on the inequity of impact to populations due to climate change and build understanding of the social justice ramifications associated with climate change vulnerabilities.
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