Newswise — New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 29, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick experts Jeanne Herb and Lisa Auermuller are available for interviews on climate change resilience on the seventh anniversary of Superstorm Sandy’s landfall in New Jersey.

In Hoboken today, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order to establish a Statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy and create a Climate and Flood Resilience Program within the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection and an Interagency Council on Climate Resilience.

“We are grateful for Gov. Murphy’s recognition of Rutgers University’s leadership over the past 10 years in advancing science-informed climate resilience efforts in New Jersey,” said Herb, executive director of the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and co-facilitator of the New Jersey Climate Change Alliance.

These efforts include:

- Developing science that informs state and local efforts to protect residents, communities, infrastructure and natural systems.

- Implementing collaborative efforts with state and local leaders to use Rutgers tools and guidance (such as NJFloodMapper) to plan for changing climate conditions.

- Ensuring that our state’s policies reflect the latest climate science.

“We are working hard to make sure that Rutgers continues to be a resource center to Gov. Murphy’s team and all of New Jersey’s communities in our collective efforts to enhance our state’s resilience to changing climate conditions,” Herb said.

Auermuller, assistant manager and Coastal Training Program coordinator at the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, said, “Our Rutgers team looks forward to continuing its important work with the State of New Jersey, and bringing applied climate science to bear on short- and long-term decision-making.”

N.J. State Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, has introduced legislation (S-4162) that would establish a NJ Climate Change Resource Center at Rutgers.

Rutgers-New Brunswick posted a Saving New Jersey from the Rising Tide package earlier this year.


For an interview with Herb or Auermuller, please contact Todd Bates at [email protected]

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Broadcast interviews: Rutgers University has broadcast-quality TV and radio studios available for remote live or taped interviews with Rutgers experts. For more information, contact Neal Buccino at [email protected]

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Rutgers University–New Brunswick is where Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, began more than 250 years ago. Ranked among the world’s top 60 universities, Rutgers’s flagship is a leading public research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. It has an internationally acclaimed faculty, 12 degree-granting schools and the Big Ten Conference’s most diverse student body.