State leaders and local advocates to address how New Jersey’s next governor could create a cleaner, healthier environment for residents.
Following their stop in Newark for their statewide environmental tour in July, the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NJLCVEF) visited Camden on Wednesday. There, the group continued to raise awareness of the environmental issues in New Jersey that will be affected by the state’s next governor, particularly those impacting the city of Camden.
“Camden, similar to Newark, has a lot of similar issues because they both are communities that are taken advantage of and [are] not often seen or represented in the environmental space and in spaces that most affect them,” said NJLCVEF Campaign Manager Luke Pavlov.
For their presentation, the NJLCVEF partnered with the Center for Environmental Transformation, a local organization that has worked toward empowering Camden residents to protect and sustain their community’s environment.
One of the main issues raised by the Center was the air pollution created by the 22 industrial facilities with permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to operate in Camden.
Though these permits allow pollution from these facilities, the Center’s Executive Director, Jon Compton, stated that this has resulted in increased rates for asthma and respiratory illnesses in the city.
The European Metal Recycling facility in Camden, New Jersey, on August 6, 2025.
Compton specifically discussed the pollution produced by the European Metal Recycling (EMR) plant in Camden. This facility has been the site of six junkyard fires since 2016, the most recent one occurring last February, creating far more pollution than normal. As a result, Camden residents have filed a lawsuit against both EMR and the DEP.
“We just have a particular issue with [EMR],” said Compton. “Because not only are they emitting particulate matter into the air as part of their operation, where they shred cars in their giant metal shredder, but they catch on fire, which releases a ton of toxic materials and material into the air.”
In addition to air pollution, severe flooding is also a critical issue in Camden. The Marlton neighborhood has been hit hardest, facing coastal flooding from the Cooper River, heavy rainfall, and sewer backups. This has resulted in Marlton having the city’s highest rate of flood damage insurance claims, according to Compton.
While Camden has faced many environmental issues, the Center continues to run multiple programs in order to educate the public and help resolve them. For example, the Center has set up a youth-focused urban farming program with a half-acre of gardens growing crops in Camden.
The Center has also set up an Environmental Justice Task Force. In this program, a dozen Camden residents were trained to advocate for themselves. They learned to understand public policies and help organize plans to tackle issues affecting their community. This task force even played a key role in the decision to sue European Metal Recycling.
The Center’s Project Manager and Camden resident Ajeenah “AJ” Riggs discussed how the task force has inspired Camden residents by educating them and unlocking their ability to bring positive change to their community.
“Some of them are not aware that they actually have the power to organize together and get a lot of the issues that we’re having problems with in Camden that they are probably the best people to get it done,” said Riggs. “They’re the best solution, and…some people are just not used to feeling like they can do anything.”
Compton also presented a coastal flooding resilience plan for the city of Camden, created with the aid of a federal grant provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. This plan includes creating basins in Gateway Park, right along Cooper River, to decrease the total amount of flooding in nearby neighborhoods.
“So for the flooding issue…we’re trying to be more involved in climate resilience planning and helping the various communities in Camden think about what impacts are going to be facing them in the future as far as sea level rise, worsening storms, higher heat indexes, and emergencies related to storms like power outages,” said Compton.
NJLCVEF and the Center for Environmental Transformation showed Camden residents that their city’s environmental problems are severe. However, they also demonstrated that solutions are possible and work can be done to address them. Camden residents were encouraged to stay aware of these issues. They were also urged to speak up within their community and to their local leaders.
“I know it is important to make them aware of what it is that they can do,” said Riggs. “I think mostly a lot of them are frustrated to the point where they feel like they need to either educate themselves to be neighborhood champions, or be able to talk to their neighbors about it so that they can come together and figure out solutions.”