The conference, which brought together leading local and national experts, happened at a critical juncture for the state of New Jersey.

“We are at an important inflection point in our state as we will be electing a new Governor in just eight months,” said Kaplan in her welcome to the more than 200 attendees. “This is the right time to take stock of where we are and have a thoughtful and civil dialogue on climate change in New Jersey. States like New Jersey can continue to be laboratories for innovation and move forward in the absence of federal leadership,” noted Kaplan.

Clinton Andrews, Distinguished Professor and the associate dean for research at the Bloustein School, provided context for New Jersey climate innovations that included a series of historical timelines on demography and infrastructure; adaptation, technology, and mitigation. Throughout the day participants provided feedback on poster-sized versions of the timelines identifying actions they viewed as most positive and most negative for New Jersey as well as on how New Jersey can set the lead going forward on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Sessions with experts and state leaders focused on accelerating greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the sectors that contribute the most to New Jersey’s emissions (transportation, energy generation, and commercial and residential buildings), as well as innovations in adapting to climate change.