Report on Urban Heat Island Mitigation and Sustainable Development in New Jersey

1.0 The Urban Heat Island Effect: A Threat to Sustainable Communities

A 2024 analysis by Climate Central identifies the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect as a significant environmental and social challenge in New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia area. Densely built environments with heat-absorbent materials like pavement and asphalt experience temperatures up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit higher than surrounding rural areas. This phenomenon directly undermines progress toward several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Key Findings:
  • Newark, New Jersey, is identified as a hotspot, with temperature increases reaching up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Average summer temperatures in cities like Camden have risen by 3.2 degrees since 1970.
  • Projections indicate that by 2035, Newark could experience 40 to 60 days of weather at or above 90 degrees, a substantial increase from the historical average of 15-20 days.
• Impact on SDGs:
  • SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Extreme heat, especially when combined with high humidity, poses deadly health risks by impeding the body’s natural cooling mechanisms.
  • SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The UHI effect disproportionately impacts low-income residents through increased electricity bills for cooling and greater exposure to heat-related health risks.
  • SDG 13 (Climate Action): Rising average temperatures are a direct consequence of climate change, which is intensified at a local level by the UHI effect.

2.0 State-Level Response: A Grant Program for Climate Resilience

In response to these challenges, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has announced a $5 million grant program to mitigate urban heat and enhance community resilience. The initiative is funded by the New Jersey Clean Energy Fund, aligning with goals for sustainable energy and climate action.

BPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy stated that extreme heat threatens health and safety while driving up energy costs, particularly in communities affected by the UHI. This initiative directly addresses the need for reliable and affordable energy, a cornerstone of SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).

3.0 Grant Program Structure and Objectives

The grant program is designed to fund projects on public land that are accessible to the community. The funding is structured into three distinct categories to support a range of interventions.

1. Major Cooling Infrastructure Projects: Two awards of $1 million each.
2. Public Building Upgrades: Four grants of up to $500,000 each.
3. Community-Led Micro-Climate Interventions: Twenty awards of $50,000 each, intended for local nonprofits and civic associations.

4.0 Fostering Sustainable and Resilient Communities (SDG 11)

The program’s central theme is the enhancement of public spaces to foster stronger community connections, which is critical for building climate resilience. This approach is fundamental to achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

• Community Engagement: The grants, particularly the micro-intervention awards, require community engagement to ensure solutions are locally relevant and build social cohesion.
• Building Resilience: Research indicates that strong community ties improve resilience during climate-related disasters. Jonathan Gordon, Deputy Director of Clean Energy Equity at the BPU, noted that community connections can facilitate mutual aid, such as helping neighbors install air conditioning units.
• Long-Term Vision: The BPU seeks creative, long-term solutions that transform public spaces into cool, shaded, and relaxing areas where community connections can flourish.

Applications for the grant program are scheduled to open in September.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article highlights the health risks associated with extreme heat, stating that the “additional heat from the built environment can be deadly” and that “high heat combined with high humidity is dangerous.” This directly connects to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  The issue of rising energy costs due to increased heat is a central theme. The article notes that extreme heat “increases electricity bills” and “drives energy costs through the roof.” The grant program mentioned is funded by the “New Jersey Clean Energy Fund” and aims to tackle the “contributory causes of energy demand,” which relates to energy efficiency and affordability.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The article explicitly states that the impacts of the urban heat island effect, including increased electricity bills, “disproportionately impacts low-income residents.” The grant program’s focus on communities like Camden, Trenton, and Newark, which are identified as having high urban heat island effects, is an effort to address this inequality.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The entire article is centered on the urban environment. It discusses the “urban heat island effect” caused by “pavement, black top and dense buildings.” The proposed solutions, such as creating “major cooling infrastructure projects,” upgrading “public buildings,” and developing “community-led ‘micro-climate interventions'” on public land, are all measures aimed at making cities more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article frames the urban heat island effect as a climate change issue. It mentions “Climate change–related temperature increases” and the need for communities to “prepare for or mitigate urban heat.” The grant program is a direct adaptation measure to “strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards” like extreme heat.

Identified SDG Targets

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
     
     Explanation: The article discusses how “deadly heat” is a significant health risk. The initiatives to mitigate urban heat and raise awareness are forms of risk reduction to protect public health from the climate-related hazard of extreme temperatures.

2. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

   • Target 7.1: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
     
     Explanation: The article points out that extreme heat “drives energy costs through the roof,” threatening affordable energy access, especially for low-income residents. The BPU’s mission to “ensure reliable, affordable energy for all New Jerseyans” aligns with this target.
   • Target 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
     
     Explanation: The BPU President’s statement about “tackling the contributory causes of energy demand” directly relates to improving energy efficiency. Cooling infrastructure and green spaces reduce the need for air conditioning, thus lowering energy demand.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
     
     Explanation: The article identifies that heat and high energy costs “disproportionately impacts low-income residents.” The grant program, which targets specific cities and encourages community-led projects, aims to mitigate these unequal burdens and build resilience in vulnerable communities.

4. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
     
     Explanation: Extreme heat is a climate-related disaster. The article mentions its “deadly” potential. The entire grant program is an effort to reduce the impact of this disaster, with a clear focus on vulnerable urban communities.
   • Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
     
     Explanation: The urban heat island effect is a negative environmental impact of cities. The initiatives to add green spaces and cooling infrastructure are direct attempts to reduce this adverse impact.
   • Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
     
     Explanation: The article mentions the “lack of shade tree canopy” as a cause of heat. The grant program explicitly funds projects to “enhance the public space” and create “micro-climate interventions” on “public land,” directly aligning with the goal of creating accessible green and public spaces.

5. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
     
     Explanation: The article is about adapting to the effects of climate change. The $5 million grant program is a concrete action to help communities “prepare for or mitigate urban heat” and build “greater resiliency in any type of climate-related disaster.”
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
     
     Explanation: The creation of a grant program by a state agency, the New Jersey Bureau of Public Utilities, to address a climate change impact (extreme heat) is a clear example of integrating climate measures into state-level policy and planning.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

• Temperature Data

  The article provides specific quantitative data that can be used as indicators to measure the problem and track progress. This includes temperature differentials (“5 degrees Fahrenheit higher,” “up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit”), historical temperature rise (“Camden, for example, have risen 3.2 degrees since 1970”), and the frequency of extreme heat days (“historical average was 15 to 20 days of 90-degree weather… Right now, we’re at 30 or 40 [days]”).

• Financial Investment

  The allocation of funds is a direct indicator of commitment and action. The article specifies a “$5 million grant program,” broken down into “two $1 million dollar awards,” “four grants… for up to $500,000,” and “20 $50,000 awards.”

• Infrastructure and Green Space Development

  Progress can be measured by the number and scale of projects implemented. The article implies indicators such as the number of “major cooling infrastructure projects” built, the number of “public buildings” upgraded, and the number of “community-led ‘micro-climate interventions'” created. An increase in “shade tree canopy” would be a key metric.

• Energy Consumption and Cost

  Since the article links heat to increased “energy costs” and “energy demand,” a relevant indicator would be the measurement of changes in electricity usage and bills for residents in the targeted communities after mitigation projects are implemented.

• Community Engagement and Resilience

  While harder to quantify, the article implies the importance of measuring “community connections.” This could be tracked through indicators like the number of “civic association[s]” or “local nonprofit[s]” participating in the grant program and surveys measuring residents’ sense of community resilience.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: whyy.org