It may be the heat wave that was over before it even got started. After two miserable days where temperatures peaked in the upper 90s and high humidity made it feel like well over 100, many parts of the state did not reach 90 degrees today, which would formally constitute a heat wave… But compared to the rest of the globe and its own recent history, New Jersey has gotten off pretty light compared to the rest of the world… “Here we are, one of the most comfortable places on the planet,” said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University… According to data from Robinson’s office, eight of the 13 summers since 2002 have ranked among the 10 warmest in the state’s history. And the three warmest summers on record have occurred in 2010, 2005 and 2011, respectively.

Long after the sun went down in Newark Sunday, the city was baked. At 1 a.m. Monday, it was 86 degrees, but it felt like 94. Less than 25 miles away in Bernards, it was 75, and, more importantly, to the human body it felt like 75… If you live in a city in New Jersey and it feels like there’s no relief from the heat, you’re right. Cities in New Jersey, and around the country, suffer from a man-made phenomenon called the Urban Heat Island Effect, which allows urban areas to retain heat even as towns just a few miles away cool down with the normal ebb and flow of the sun… “The cities retain the solar energy from the previous day that’s been absorbed by asphalt, by the sides of buildings and the rooftops,” said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University. “They hang onto the heat well into the evening and never fully relinquishes it by dawn.”

“The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all,” wrote Pope Francis in his recent encyclical, or papal letter. The Pope’s letter focused international attention on climate change, and he called on developed countries to limit use of non-renewable energy and help poorer nations deal with the impacts of global warming. A “very solid scientific consensus,” he wrote, indicates a warming of the climate mainly due to human activity… Predictably, Pope Francis’ message was cheered by climate scientists and jeered by “climate skeptics.”… In a way, that’s what Pope Francis did- pointing out the massive human suffering that will result if nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere… Looking for reliable information about climate change? Here are some of the best resources: The NASA global climate website, the Climate Central website, and the World Health Organization website. Also, read Rutgers University’s state of the climate report for New Jersey.

A group of local veterans will show off their brand-new “fish exchange” and other green initiatives at a festival later this month… Among the initiatives developed by the program is the so-called “fish exchange”, which allows local anglers who catch potentially contaminated fish from the Passaic River to trade them in for others raised by the group of veterans… The university’s Rutgers VETS program was launched last year through a partnership with Metropolitan Baptist Church’s Reassertion Community Development Corporation and the Lower Passaic River Cooperating Parties Group- a coalition of about 60 groups devoted to improving the river’s condition.

Dr. Carey Williams, Associate Director of Extension at the Equine Science Center at Rutgers University, and associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, received the 2015 American Soci…

The Equine Science Center at Rutgers University hosted its annual “Summer Showcase” on Wednesday, July 8 at the Equine Exercise Physiology Laboratory on College Farm Road on the George H. Cook Campus in New Brunswick. The Summer Showcase, similar to an open house, is a free event that is open to the public and perfect for any and all equine enthusiasts, ages 8 and up… Dr. Karyn Malinowski, director of the Equine Science Center, welcomed guests and explained why the horse makes an excellent animal model to study and what type of research is conducted at the Center. Guests also saw a demonstration of a horse galloping at full speed on the 21-foot equine treadmill. The treadmill allows researchers to study the horse in motion while the people stand still. Dr. Ken McKeever explained how blood and tissue samples can be taken to study the effects of exercise on the horse’s body. The blood can be analyzed in a lab attached to the study barn… The Equine Science Center is a unit of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Its mission is Better Horse Care through Research and Education in order to advance the well-being and performance of horses and the equine industry.

Twenty-nine 4-H members representing 13 counties will be participating in the first New Jersey 4-H goLEAD Youth Leadership Institute on July 1-2, at Rutgers University in New Brunswick… goLEAD (generationOn Leadership, Education, and Development) is …