Climate change in the Hudson River Estuary

Local climate resilience in the news

Watch our Hudson Valley Climate Resiliency playlist on YouTube

• New Video! Climate Justice: Working Together for an Equitable Future (Spanish captions available)
• Tarrytown to serve as 2022 CaD host community
• Hudson releases new climate-adaptive plan for waterfront
• DEC Announces 2022 CaD Studio Opportunity 
• DEC Division of Water releases updated Asset Management Guide for Publicly Owned Treatment Works that includes climate resilience and consideration of sea-level rise and tidal influence (read more in chapter 6.2 Resilient Infrastructure p. 52-57).
• Read our latest Research & Policy Brief: Responding to Risk from Floods and COVID-19: Beyond Partisanship, Through Experience
• Congratulations to our 2021 grantees: Governor Hochul Announces Awards of $1.5 Million in Grants for 39 Projects in Hudson River Estuary Watershed Communities
• DEC awards $250k for Phase II: Advancing Climate-adaptive Designs in the City of Hudson and Town and Village of Ossining
• Our Climate-adaptive Design Phase II project for Kingston Point has received a 2021 Merit Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects NY
• Poughkeepsie to Serve as Host Community for Cornell University Climate Design Studio, September, 2021

What is climate change?

View answers to frequently asked questions on climate change from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

What is climate resilience?

Climate resilience is our ability to manage climate risks, respond productively as the climate changes and recover quickly from extreme events. It acknowledges that some are more affected by climate change than others, and incorporates the principles of climate justice to help communities “bounce forward” to a better future. View our page on helping communities become more climate resilient to learn more.

It is crucial to consider social equity when making investments to increase our physical resilience to climate change. Consider how projects could lead to negative social affects like green gentrification and research ways to mitigate these impacts, starting with Greening in Place and Building Equity into Green Infrastructure.

What are our climate risks in the Hudson River Estuary?

The primary climate risks identified for this region include increased frequency and severity of:

• Flooding, which can impact our waterfront properties and infrastructure
• Heat waves, which can impact human health and agriculture
• Short-term drought, which can impact our food and water supply

Please download our climate fact sheet (PDF) (191 KB) for an overview of climate change in the Hudson Valley and what you can do to help. You can also view our climate projections webpage or download a PDF of the latest climate projections for the Hudson Valley (PDF) (347 KB).

Past local climate resilience in the news

• New resource: Lead with Listening: A Guidebook for Community Conversations on Climate Migration
• FEMA rolls out new Risk Rating 2.0: Equity in Action to "deliver rates that are actuarily sound, equitable, easier to understand and better reflect a property’s flood risk," download the NYS Summary (PDF)
• 2015 - 2020 Hudson River Estuary Coordinator's Report (PDF), view Resilient Communities highlights beginning on page 6
• New resource: The Flood Resilience Handbook for Public Access Sites along the Hudson River: from Troy to Yonkers (PDF)
• DEC Announces Availability of $225,000 for Hudson River Estuary Community Improvement Projects: $125,000 Available for Climate-Adaptive Design Phase II
• DEC Announces $750,000 in Grants Available for Hudson River Estuary Communities
• 2020 State of the Hudson Report (PDF) released, see climate change chapter starting on page 87!
• Read the latest policy brief on climate justice and flooding from the Community and Regional Development Institute
• Learn about our Climate-adaptive Design Phase II: 30% Engineering projects in Kingston and Piermont in this Sustainable Shorelines Designs Webinar Series (content starts at 7:45)
• Upstream communities face a flooded future, March, 2021
• DEC Announces New Measures to Help New York Build Stronger and Smarter to Reduce Flood Risk Statewide, November 4, 2020
• Building Community Consensus for Flood Risk Adaptation (PDF), June 2020
• Making Coastal Adaptation Personal, July 8, 2020
• 5-minute Adaptation Inspiration video: Conserving Nature in Your Community
• Tarrytown Hosts Workshop on Flooding Caused by Climate Change, October 9, 2019
• DEC Announces $250,000 in Awards to Improve Resiliency of Kingston and Piermont Riverfronts
• Mental stress on rise as coastal towns confront surging climate threats 6/21/19
• Adapting to Rising Waters along the Hudson: Lessons from Piermont, NY 7/19/18