🇺🇸 US State carbon management spotlight: New Jersey (#NJ) 🇺🇸

New Jersey faces heightened vulnerability to climate change impacts, especially sea level rise, because of its unique geography and population density. The state’s commitment to carbon dioxide removal (#CDR) alongside emissions reductions primarily focuses on natural carbon sequestration, although new legislation is increasing the prevalence of other methods. What are the relevant climate policy frameworks in NJ?

​​🎯 In July 2019, Governor Murphy reinforced New Jersey's commitment to climate action by amending the Global Warming Response Act (#GWRA). First enacted in 2007 and subsequently strengthened, the GRWA sets a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from their 2006 levels by 2050.

🏭 New Jersey participates in the Regional Greenhouse Gases Initiative (#RGGI), a cap-and-trade program. It sets limits on carbon emissions from power plants and auctions emissions allowances, with proceeds reinvested in clean energy and efficiency programs.

🌱 While New Jersey does not have specific #CDR targets or accounting methods mentioned, the GWRA does have a target of increasing Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (#LULUCF) sector removals by 33% by 2050. What CDR technologies is NJ looking at?

🌾 New Jersey prioritises natural carbon capture and removal strategies such as reforestation, salt marsh and seagrass restoration, and conservation management of agricultural lands.

🌻 New Jersey has launched a Natural Climate Solutions Grant program. This program provides funding for on-the-ground projects that aim to enhance natural carbon sinks within the state.

🧱 The Low Embodied Carbon Concrete Leadership Act provides tax benefits for the use of concrete with lower embodied carbon. It presents an opportunity for carbon storage, potentially through the incorporation of #biochar or carbon capture and storage (#CCS) in concrete. New Jersey’s climate policy is increasingly looking to enhance carbon sequestration with industrial CDR technologies. The state’s investment in carbon removal while also seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the right approach.

📣Who are the companies, institutions, and individuals driving carbon management in NJ? Let me know in the comments.

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