Strengthening protections against a changing climate
Supporting nature-based solutions to adapt to the impacts of climate change
The challenge
Climate change is posing numerous threats to our river, riverfront communities, and drinking water sources.
Our climate is changing now
Climate change has already resulted in impacts to the Hudson River, its tributaries and our drinking water supplies — changes that will grow more profound in the coming decades. In the 20th century, the water temperature of the Hudson increased by 4 degrees Fahrenheit, while the river level rose by a foot. Increased water temperatures, coupled with precipitation extremes — both drought and flood — can have a cascading set of impacts on water quality, including greater risk of harmful algal blooms. Today’s storms are more extreme, runoff is more intense, and tides in the estuary are higher. Increasing temperatures are causing stress on fish and wildlife, and extreme flooding and storm surge have cost lives and wreaked havoc on our communities.
The realities of our changing climate are woven into all Riverkeeper’s work and we are striving to ensure our watershed is one that is not only resilient to present and future climate change, but is investing in needed adaptation strategies that reflect the values of our communities and our right to clean and healthy water.
4
degrees Fahrenheit the Hudson River water temperature increased from 1990 to 2020
5-11
degrees Fahrenheit increase in average air temperature projected by the end of this century
12
inches the river level has risen since 1900 in its tidal reach, which extends to the dams in Troy
5%-19%
projected increase in precipitation in the Hudson Valley by 2080
- Focus areas
- Climate impactsHabitat and wildlife
What we're doing
Building a stronger, more resilient watershed that will thrive in the face of a changing climate for generations to come.
Protecting resilient ecosystems
When it comes to climate change, protecting the health of our communities goes hand in hand with restoring and defending our watershed. Wetlands, floodplains, healthy streams, and native plant species can not only sustain wildlife populations in the face of climate change, but also play a crucial role in mitigating its worst impacts on human communities. Whether it’s free-flowing rivers soaking up flood waters or oyster reefs absorbing the force of storm surge, preserving and restoring our native biodiversity buffers us. Riverkeeper’s work to protect these systems by extension helps support climate-adaptive communities that are able to anticipate and manage climate risks and bounce back from extreme events.
Reducing underlying pollution burdens
In many cases, changes to temperature and precipitation due to climate change will reveal pollution problems that have been manageable in the past. Extreme storms have closed beaches along the Hudson. Warmer water temperatures coupled with short-term droughts have caused extensive harmful algal blooms on the Wallkill River. Disinfection byproducts are a growing concern in regional drinking water supplies, including New York City’s. By addressing existing pollution sources — from sewage overflows to excess nutrients — Riverkeeper works to make our waters more resilient to the climate extremes in our future.
Nature-based solutions
Riverkeeper works to promote equitable nature-based solutions that will sustain life in our communities and our waterways. For decades we have been a leading voice promoting green infrastructure technologies (e.g. rain gardens, green roofs, planted curb cuts) to capture rain where it falls, reduce polluted stormwater runoff, and provide natural features — especially in our urban centers. We are removing abandoned and obsolete dams in our waterways to restore connectivity in our rivers and creeks, which helps reduce flooding and prevents catastrophic dam failures during storms. We have been instrumental in passing state legislation that protects our remaining wetlands from development, which gives living shoreline coastal resilience projects priority over hardening shorelines.
Protection through legislation
Riverkeeper was key in shaping the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) passed in 2019, which set forth the ambitious but necessary goal of achieving zero-emissions electricity by 2040 in New York. As the state implements the law, we are working to prioritize reforestation for watershed protection and restoration. With this, New York can protect our drinking water sources and restore impaired waters while sequestering carbon with new forested areas. We also succeeded in using the CLCPA to block the expansion of Danksammer, a Hudson River fossil fuel plant.
Protecting drinking water from emerging threats
The cascading impacts of climate change threaten water quality, including our region’s drinking water supplies. Riverkeeper is a leader in communicating the emerging science around this critical issue. In addition, our habitat restoration, data collection, and legislative outreach helps to promote drinking water source protection, and we collaborate with local communities, government agencies, and other stakeholders to develop and implement strategies that mitigate these risks. Our goals include enhancing natural buffers on streams, protecting wetlands, promoting sustainable land-use practices, and upgrading infrastructure to handle extreme weather events. By focusing on these proactive measures, Riverkeeper aims to ensure that the Hudson River and its surrounding areas remain resilient to climate change, safeguarding clean drinking water and protecting our natural world for future generations.
Promoting access to water
As heat extremes become more common, people will need more ways to stay cool. Riverkeeper is promoting our vision of increased access to swimming in the Hudson River and around New York City through the reopening of shuttered beaches and the creation of new public beaches and river pools.
Updates
Blog
August 14, 2024
The Grandeur of the Hudson’s Broad Bays
Blog
July 29, 2024
House of Representatives passes Water Resources Development Act of 2024 with big wins for the Hudson and Mohawk watersheds
Blog
July 9, 2024
How Riverkeeper’s legal campaigns support restoration
Press release
July 1, 2024
Clean water advocates and environmentalists announce the formation of the Westchester Coalition for Clean Water (WCCW)
Related campaigns
Renewable energy transition
Working toward a sustainable future while protecting the Hudson River and its communities
New York City adaptation
Advocating for climate solutions for our waterways and communities in our nation’s largest city
Beyond Indian Point
Monitoring the shutdown of a nuclear power plant on the banks of the Hudson that killed billions of fish each year