PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

How are coastal New Jersey communities communicating hazards of climate change?

2025-07-30
(Press-News.org) Recent climate-related crises — from severe storms and flooding to extreme heat — have raised new questions about how local governments communicate the risk of these crises and what they are doing to keep their citizens safe. To better understand what this communication looks like at local level, and the factors that may be shaping it, researchers from Drexel University analyzed climate resilience planning information available on the public-facing websites of 24 coastal communities in New Jersey that are contending with the effects of sea level rise. Their report, recently published in the Journal of Extreme Events, found wide variation in the number and extent of mitigation actions taken and how the websites describe causes of coastal hazards — for example, only half of the communities are acknowledging sea level rise as a contributing factor to these hazards.

“Each municipality handles this communication a little differently — perhaps due to their relative risk, experience with flooding, or possibly because of their perception of what the public will accept as a feasible strategy. So, a study like this is important for comparing the information being conveyed and understanding localized variations,” said Patrick Gurian, PhD, a professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering, who led the research.

According to real estate data, New Jersey has more new homes being built in flood risk zones than any other state. The study looked at many of these communities, from Secaucus, Hoboken and Jersey City in the north, through Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights and down to Wildwood and Cape May on the southern tip — ranging in relative risk for flooding: “widespread,” “substantial” or “isolated,” which were categorized based on the percentage of their land area 10 feet or less above sea level.

The study compared the communities’ relative activity, as reported on their websites, through the lens of a climate adaptation index, which was defined as the sum of actions taken from a set of measures often considered by local governments in climate vulnerable areas — ranging from stormwater management and zoning policies to incentives to renovate or relocate.

The analysis revealed a wide range in the number of projects being undertaken, or publicized, with roughly half of the communities showing a high degree of activity and the other half showing much lower overall activity. The projects most frequently mentioned as being planned, in progress or completed, were projects addressing public infrastructure, with 62% of communities undertaking stormwater management projects and 50% undertaking road improvements. By contrast, none mentioned more permanent, but costly and controversial measures, such as managed retreat or buyout programs to help citizens relocate from vulnerable areas.

“Managed retreat planning is seemingly the least favored strategy among New Jersey coastal municipalities, whereas stormwater management and road improvements seem to be the most favored adaptation projects, likely due to their acceptance by the public and technical feasibility,” the researchers wrote.

Gurian, who has participated in related efforts to assess and bolster climate resilience plans in the Greater Philadelphia area, has a deep understanding of the underlying influences that can shape these strategies, including political undercurrents. But Gurian noted that, in the case of these two dozen communities in New Jersey, political leaning did not appear to be associated with whether they communicate about preparedness efforts.

The researchers overlaid voting behavior in the 2020 presidential election with reported climate risk preparedness activities. Of the 24 communities studied, 13 leaned Democrat and 11 Republican, per the 2020 results. But across the board, the strongest predictor of preparedness activities was being in an area classified as having “widespread risk” for coastal flooding – the most severe coastal flooding risk category.  

“Based on the results of this study, there are significant associations between the coastal flood risk for a community and the risk mitigation activities reported on governmental websites,” the researchers reported. “Population and favored political party (as measured by the 2020 presidential vote) were not found to have a significant influence on overall coastal preparedness.”

But a subtle indication of the political sensitivity around the framing of the problem may be visible in the websites’ language — or lack thereof — about climate change and sea level rise. Less than half (46%) provided information about the contribution of climate change and sea level rise to coastal hazard risk and even fewer (17%) acknowledged climate change and sea level rise and attributed them to human activity. The researchers suggested that avoiding this language may be a tactic to maintain support for the mitigation activities.

“Acknowledging climate change without attributing it to human activity may provide a window for governments to advance adaptation efforts while avoiding the potentially more controversial topics of causal attribution and emissions mitigation,” the researchers wrote.

While this study is limited to a small set of coastal communities in New Jersey, the team notes that its implications likely map onto similar municipalities in climate vulnerable areas across the country. The researchers recommend expanding both the geographic footprint in similar studies and efforts to capture local information sharing beyond websites, as not all governments may view or operate their websites as a primary means of communicating with citizens.

Gurian suggested this line of inquiry will become increasingly important as demand for coastal property and coastal flood risk are both increasing.

“The way local leaders and governments communicate about climate risk is vitally important because it not only shares urgent information that can help to keep citizens safe in the immediate future, but it also conveys a perspective of the problem that sets a framework for how citizens should perceive their own relative risk,” Gurian said. “Despite our divisive national political landscape, local governments can still communicate with their citizens about climate-related hazards. If local governments can preserve and leverage this relationship, while carefully and accurately communicating the risk climate change poses to their communities, they may yet be able to keep their citizens safe.”

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

AI-based breast cancer risk technology receives FDA Breakthrough Device designation

2025-07-30
A new technology that harnesses AI to analyze mammograms and improve the accuracy of predicting a woman’s personalized five-year risk of developing breast cancer has received Breakthrough Device designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Developed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the software has been licensed to Prognosia Inc., a WashU startup company. The system analyzes mammograms to produce a risk score estimating the likelihood that a woman will develop breast cancer over the next five years. The technology is ...

Young men with passive approach to news tend to believe medical misinformation

2025-07-30
True or false? “It is safe to take an over-the-counter medicine to help you sleep, even if you are drunk on alcohol.” “Driving while high on THC (cannabis) is safe.” “Using psychedelics is safe for everyone.” None of those statements is true. But young men who take a passive approach to news and information—consuming whatever flows over their social media transoms—were likely to believe them in a national survey conducted by Washington State ...

Announcing Zuber Lawler as a Sponsor of ARDD 2025

2025-07-30
The University of Copenhagen is excited to announce Zuber Lawler as a Sponsor of the 12th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting, the world's largest conference on aging research in the biopharmaceutical industry that will transpire on August 25 - August 29, 2025 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online. “Zuber Lawler demonstrates meticulous attention to detail with a client-first mentality… They offer personalized care from highly intelligent and creative counsel… ...

Is this what 2,500-year-old honey looks like?

2025-07-30
Decades ago, archaeologists discovered a sticky substance in a copper jar in an ancient Greek shrine. And until recently, the identity of the residue was still murky — is it a mixture of fats, oils and beeswax or something else? Researchers publishing in the Journal of the American Chemical Society have reanalyzed samples of the residue using modern analytical techniques and determined that it’s likely the remains of ancient honey — a conclusion previous analyses rejected. Honey was an important substance in the ancient world, sometimes left in shrines as offerings ...

Economic evaluation of wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 testing in long-term care settings

2025-07-30
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed enormous pressure on healthcare systems and economies around the world, with particularly severe impacts on vulnerable groups like residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). One key lesson from the pandemic is that early detection and treatment can lower hospitalization and death rates while also cutting medical costs. Wastewater surveillance at treatment plants (WSTPs) has emerged as a low-cost and innovative method to detect outbreaks early. Many developed countries have adopted this approach, ...

Announcing Deep Origin as a sponsor of ARDD 2025

2025-07-30
The University of Copenhagen is excited to announce Deep Origin as the latest tier 3 sponsor of the 12th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting, the world's largest conference on aging research in the biopharmaceutical industry that will transpire on August 25 - August 29, 2025 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online. Deep Origin is building hybrid mechanistic, physics and AI-based models that help researchers design, test, and filter therapeutics in silico – particularly for challenging disease areas such as aging. ...

Cancer cells ‘power up’ when literally pressed to the limit

2025-07-30
Cancer cells mount an instant, energy‑rich response to being physically squeezed, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications. The surge of energy is the first reported instance of a defensive mechanism which helps the cells repair DNA damage and survive the crowded environments of the human body. The findings help explain how cancer cells survive complex mechanical gauntlets like crawling through a tumour microenvironment, sliding into porous blood vessels or enduring the battering of the bloodstream. The discovery of the ...

Huge hidden flood bursts through the Greenland ice sheet surface

2025-07-30
A huge flood triggered by the rapid draining of a lake beneath the Greenland ice sheet occurred with such force that it fractured the ice above and burst out across its surface. This phenomenon, observed for the first time in Greenland and detailed in research published today in the journal Nature Geoscience, sheds new light on the destructive potential of meltwater stored beneath the ice sheet. It reveals how, under extreme conditions, water flooding underneath the ice can force its way upwards through the ice and escape at the ice sheet surface. This phenomenon is not considered by numerical models ...

The brain shapes what we feel in real time

2025-07-30
The cerebral cortex processes sensory information via a complex network of neural connections. How are these signals modulated to refine perception? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has identified a mechanism by which certain thalamic projections target neurons and modify their excitability. This work, published in Nature Communications, reveals a previously unknown form of communication between two regions of the brain, the thalamus and the somatosensory cortex. It could explain why the same sensory stimulus does not always elicit the same sensation ...

New study confirms post-pandemic surge in gut-brain disorders

2025-07-30
Bethesda, MD (July 29, 2025) — A new international study confirmed a significant post-pandemic rise in disorders of gut-brain interaction, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia, according to the paper published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Building on prior research, investigators used Rome Foundation diagnostic tools to analyze nationally representative samples from both 2017 and 2023 — offering the first direct, population-level comparison of disorders of gut-brain interaction prevalence before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings: Overall disorders of gut-brain ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Prevalence, determinants, and time trends of cardiovascular health in the WHO African region

New study finds that, after a heart attack, women have worse prognosis when treated with beta-blockers

CNIC-led REBOOT clinical trial challenges 40-year-old standard of care for heart attack patients

Systolic blood pressure and microaxial flow pump–associated survival in infarct-related cardiogenic shock

Beta blockers, the standard treatment after a heart attack, may offer no benefit for heart attack patients and women can have worse outcomes

High Mountain Asia’s shrinking glaciers linked to monsoon changes

All DRII-ed up: How do plants recover after drought?

Research on stigma says to just ‘shake it off’

Scientists track lightning “pollution” in real time using NASA satellite

Millions of women rely on contraceptives, but new Rice study shows they may do more than just prevent pregnancy

Hot days make for icy weather, Philippine study finds

Roxana Mehran, MD, receives the most prestigious award given by the European Society of Cardiology

World's first clinical trial showing lubiprostone aids kidney function

Capturing language change through the genes

Public trust in elections increases with clear facts

Thawing permafrost raised carbon dioxide levels after the last ice age

New DNA test reveals plants’ hidden climate role

Retinitis pigmentosa mouse models reflect pathobiology of human RP59

Cell’s ‘antenna’ could be key to curing diseases

Tiny ocean partnership between algae and bacteria reveals secrets of evolution

Scientists uncover cellular “toolkit” to reprogram immune cells for cancer therapy

Blocking protein control pathway slows rhabdomyosarcoma growth in mice

2026 Hertz Fellowship Application Now Open

The gut immune system is altered in mouse model of Alzheimer’s, providing a new target for therapeutics

ADHD drugs are being prescribed too quickly to preschoolers

UCLA scientists develop off-the-shelf immunotherapy for metastatic kidney cancer

Extreme heat linked to spike in domestic violence calls in New Orleans, study finds

Mount Sinai-Duke University study identifies DNA variants that increase testosterone production in PCOS patients

Physiology-guided complete revascularization in older patients with myocardial infarction

Metals and sulfate in air pollution mixture may contribute most to asthma hospitalizations

[Press-News.org] How are coastal New Jersey communities communicating hazards of climate change?