Prof of Human Ecology @Rutgers. Co-Chair, IPBES Nexus Assessment, Ecosystems chapter lead NCA5 & IPCC author. Kansas/Oxford/Yale Alum. She/her. Brunch-eater. Mom. Working at science-policy interface to find solutions to biodiversity + climate crises 🌎☀️🐢https://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mkzx5owkyk2aI know in the firestorm of problems this is very minor, but if you've ever worked in DC in the Eisenhauer EOB (as I have) or just admired it from outside, please make a comment against this dumb proposal to paint it white (you can guess who wants it) Comments due by Wed! https://www.ncpc.gov/participate/guidelines/04 May 2026 15:06 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzx5owkyk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mksj2jhtls2kI have made this point multiple times in relation to the Vietnam War 50+ years ago - we weren't monitoring impacts and so we don't have baselines to understand what war did to the Vietnam environment. Now we have satellite data & other advances and should use them https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aeg953201 May 2026 16:05 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mksj2jhtls2khttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mkqi3nsuws2iToday is the 51st anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. This piece I wrote last year is still very much true: https://theconversation.com/50-years-later-vietnams-environment-still-bears-the-scars-of-war-and-signals-a-dark-future-for-gaza-and-ukraine-25497130 Apr 2026 20:43 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkqi3nsuws2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mkl5jd4mnk2mThe US paid $750 million to WHO in 2024, and about $7 million to support UNFCCC for climate. Trump's ballroom and arch are estimated to be $400+ million. My head hurts. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Apr 2026 17:50 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkl5jd4mnk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mkl4noyxnc2mThe Consortium of Social Science Associations is collecting information from social & behavioral science community on how recent Executive Actions affect research and the scientific workforce, including proposed elimination of SBE at NSF Please share your stories! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfT46TNot-t1HUKK2Dsn1yC-uFArdG2_utdA9sWy2VADZAPXQ/viewform28 Apr 2026 17:35 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkl4noyxnc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mkky3xar4k2eIt’s shocking what has happened to EPA’s Office of Research and Development. I used to be on the external science advisory board to ORD helping provide ideas and feedback to an amazing collection of scientists. Now they’ve been fired or relocated and ORD is no more 😡 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/climate/epa-science-trump-cuts.html?unlocked_article_code=1.eVA.rmJG.h7-rBCwRSvcY&smid=nytcore-ios-share28 Apr 2026 16:13 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkky3xar4k2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mkjd3wmjdk2kZero surprise ASU did this to their professors https://www.404media.co/asu-atomic-ai-modules-arizona-state-university/28 Apr 2026 00:25 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkjd3wmjdk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mkd5qdh2kk2s2023 @IPBES.net invasive alien species assessment stressed the damage these opportunistic organisms can wreak on native vegetation. NJ taking action to limit sales and spread of some invasives that gardeners may have been using yet unaware of their ecosystem costs https://www.nj.com/politics/2026/04/check-your-backyards-and-gardens-nj-just-banned-these-30-plants.html25 Apr 2026 13:33 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkd5qdh2kk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mk6vaqoidk2cWell if you start from the Franco-Vietnam war before the US got deeply involved… 30 years. That what he’s proposing? [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Apr 2026 20:50 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk6vaqoidk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mk4lfayok22rOur Earth is amazing. Let's not let big tech companies show us pretty pictures but work to undermine our life support systems #EarthDay22 Apr 2026 22:48 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk4lfayok22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mk3gc3gfas2bOn this #EarthDay, let's remember that when we protect the environment, we also protect our health and wellbeing. Right now the US administration is doing the opposite https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMp251437022 Apr 2026 11:45 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk3gc3gfas2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mjzd2ctmps2gSome needed good news: Clean energy pushes fossil-fuel power into reverse for ‘first time ever’ https://www.carbonbrief.org/clean-energy-pushes-fossil-fuel-power-into-reverse-for-first-time-ever/21 Apr 2026 15:41 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjzd2ctmps2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mjwkpzrr622aVietnam farmers facing impossible fertilizer costs for rice. Factories in Bangladesh can’t churn out fast fashion due to polyester shortages. Cancelled air flights and steep declines in tourism. All due to dependence on fossil fuels and current skyrocketing costs https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/world/asia/asia-pacific-iran-war-oil.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cVA.7433.flEbY1tYwgcV&smid=nytcore-ios-share20 Apr 2026 13:21 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjwkpzrr622ahttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mjuynreaa22dAsia is reeling from the Iran war in terms of government and consumer responses to reduce fuel use. While this is helping to relieve short-term pain, all of these countries need long-term solutions like 100% renewables and electrificaiton https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/2026-energy-crisis-policy-response-tracker19 Apr 2026 22:25 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjuynreaa22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mjseinl4mk2oAs someone who used to be on the Board of Scientific Counselors providing outside science advice to EPA’s ORD, this is excruciating. No more ORD, no more independent advice, no more scientific discovery that doesn’t fit with political appointees views. [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Apr 2026 21:19 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjseinl4mk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mjrdjj35ws2rA must read. Blocking climate policy was the instigation for the birth of the Supreme Court shadow docket. Let’s be very clear that ‘vote for the climate candidate’ is hollow advice when 1) our courts don’t understand climate science 2) rightwing justices change procedures to prevent climate action [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Apr 2026 11:28 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjrdjj35ws2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mjkuklntlc2bWould be great if we could get the term #climate-flation into US discourse as well, because there is no doubt that some commodities are rising in price due to climate impacts (eg chocolate), as well as the impacts of war, trade disruptions, and tariffs https://weadapt.org/knowledge-base/what-is-climate-flation/15 Apr 2026 21:45 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkuklntlc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mja4ivtdvs2yPlease raise your voice to oppose the dissolution of the SBE directorate at #NSF, and with it, elimination of support for all social science research. Check out the action opportunities at https://cossa.org/action-center/take-action/#/58 [contains quote post or other embedded content]11 Apr 2026 15:08 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mja4ivtdvs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mj5giqqwj22yCheck out this new paper - but also let's be clear that we are not doing the things we need to be doing to stop the next pandemic! USAID funded many projects aimed at both reductions in wildlife trade and disease surveillance - and now it is gone 🥺 We need a new governance and funding strategy, stat [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 Apr 2026 13:28 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5giqqwj22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mj3hm7pkk22qDon’t miss this piece by @drkatemarvel.bsky.social on #climate science being dismantled at NASA even as we celebrate Artemis II https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/opinion/nasa-climate-science-earth.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZlA.R_Io.-5qgCgwZGQVR&smid=nytcore-ios-share09 Apr 2026 18:43 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj3hm7pkk22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mizkdiehzc2k"Where does your food come from? The supermarket or a local farm, you might think, or maybe you even grow your own. But really the answer is fossil fuels – and thanks to the ongoing Iran war, you are going to start noticing that." https://www.newscientist.com/article/2521611-the-iran-war-is-exposing-the-huge-risks-in-our-food-system/09 Apr 2026 00:26 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mizkdiehzc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3miz7z4fqjc2mA problem we warned about in 5th National Climate Assessment: changes in timing of plants and animals can have major economic and cultural impacts. Flower festivals depend on having flowers - what happens when timing, location and quality changes? 🧪 #climatechange https://www.science.org/content/article/japan-warms-cherry-blossom-displays-are-fading https://www.science.org/content/article/japan-warms-cherry-blossom-displays-are-fading?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ScienceAdviser&utm_content=distillation&et_rid=571230418&et_cid=592439608 Apr 2026 21:22 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3miz7z4fqjc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pammcelwee.bsky.social/post/3mivnhwpmo22yWar with Iran is driving much of Southeast Asia to rethink fossil fuel development. In the end Trump may do more to accelerate low-carbon renewables than formal #climatechange policies have https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/vingroup-proposes-scrapping-lng-powered-plant-plan-renewables-amid-iran-war-2026-03-31/07 Apr 2026 11:12 +0000at://did:plc:kwx7ouhxdojhpbaoxs2oeuew/app.bsky.feed.post/3mivnhwpmo22y