NJClimateWeek: Sea Level Rise

• This video details how and why New Jersey is more vulnerable to sea level rise than many other coastal areas.
• The video also shows current efforts underway in New Jersey and what needs to happen moving forward in order to keep residents safe, informed, and ready to act.

Positives

• Several New Jersey government employees are included in the video, which provide students with multiple perspectives. 
• The video is very informative and includes graphics that will support visual learners. 

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should have an understanding of how sea level rise is connected to global warming.
  

Differentiation

• Social studies classes can use this resource in order to discuss the role governments can play in combating climate change. Discussion questions could include:
  • What steps has New Jersey taken?
  • What steps should be taken next? 
• After watching this video, have students (individually, in groups, or in pairs) use the New Jersey Flood Mapper tool to explore a chosen or assigned area of the New Jersey coastline and answer the following questions:
  • From your understanding of the video, why is this part of New Jersey susceptible to flooding?
  • At what level of sea level rise is this area going to flood? 
  • What else did you learn from using the flood mapping tool?
  • What actionable items from the video could help the people living in this part of New Jersey?
  • In your opinion, what else should New Jersey, The United States, or the world do to combat sea level rise? 
• Other related resources include this video about sea level rise in Boston, this activity about rising sea levels, and this data set that focuses on sea level.