Pam McElwee
@pammcelwee.bsky.social
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 🌎☀️🐢
Pinned
Pam McElwee
@pammcelwee.bsky.social
· Nov 5
In reading Bill Gates' recent #climate memo, I'm struck by how much he ignores huge body of research and action around integrated solutions - the whole reason we wrote the @ipbes.net Nexus Assessment on climate, biodiversity, water, food and health! So a few key facts & lessons from our report: 1/
#IPBES12 is underway with opening statements. Colombia for GRULAC begins with a tribute to a ‘founding member’ who has left—the US—and hopes they will be back soon. Got a little choked up at that - ❤️ - I too hope the US will be back soon.
February 3, 2026 at 11:46 AM
#IPBES12 is underway with opening statements. Colombia for GRULAC begins with a tribute to a ‘founding member’ who has left—the US—and hopes they will be back soon. Got a little choked up at that - ❤️ - I too hope the US will be back soon.
Great to be here in Manchester to focus on global biodiversity knowledge, especially given misguided US federal withdrawal from IPBES last month. US universities and institutions are still in! Happy to represent @Rutgers and network with other orgs on how we can support a biodiversity agenda
Stakeholders gather in Manchester, UK, ahead of the @ipbes.net Plenary to jointly reflect on their #biodiversity engagement and coordinate interventions to be delivered at the 12th Plenary session
February 2, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Great to be here in Manchester to focus on global biodiversity knowledge, especially given misguided US federal withdrawal from IPBES last month. US universities and institutions are still in! Happy to represent @Rutgers and network with other orgs on how we can support a biodiversity agenda
Reposted by Pam McElwee
The execution of Alex Pretti is playing so badly because you can look at his actions and life story - his last act was helping, boy scout, athlete, health care worker to veterans - and compare those to the men who killed him and know which you would want to be your son, brother, father, uncle.
January 26, 2026 at 4:18 PM
The execution of Alex Pretti is playing so badly because you can look at his actions and life story - his last act was helping, boy scout, athlete, health care worker to veterans - and compare those to the men who killed him and know which you would want to be your son, brother, father, uncle.
Amid all the horrors in MN right now, the fact that Alex Pretti was an interdisciplinary environmental studies graduate from UMN got to me. He was just like my students, who care deeply about both people and nature. Hoping for justice for his family.
Wrote myself a pep talk to get back to work tomorrow. It helped me. Hope it helps you.
I don't know how to do this
But I'm going to keep doing it anyway.
heated.world
January 26, 2026 at 9:14 PM
Amid all the horrors in MN right now, the fact that Alex Pretti was an interdisciplinary environmental studies graduate from UMN got to me. He was just like my students, who care deeply about both people and nature. Hoping for justice for his family.
Given all that's going on, here's another systemic risk out there: the collapse of food production due to biodiversity loss in key areas of the world. This UK security analysis get it - a key message of the @ipbes.net Nexus Assessment as well. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn
Ecosystem destruction will increase food shortages, disorder and mass migration, with effects already being felt
www.theguardian.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Given all that's going on, here's another systemic risk out there: the collapse of food production due to biodiversity loss in key areas of the world. This UK security analysis get it - a key message of the @ipbes.net Nexus Assessment as well. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Please sign letter @agu.org has organized in opposition to the withdrawal of the US from UNFCCC and other global #climate and environmental policy institutions 🧪
agu.quorum.us/campaign/152...
agu.quorum.us/campaign/152...
Sign on in opposition to the U.S. leaving the IPCC and other critical global climate and environment organizations and treaties
Join me in opposing the US leaving critical global science-based organizations
agu.quorum.us
January 23, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Please sign letter @agu.org has organized in opposition to the withdrawal of the US from UNFCCC and other global #climate and environmental policy institutions 🧪
agu.quorum.us/campaign/152...
agu.quorum.us/campaign/152...
My colleague @bobkopp.net has a nice thread rundown of the many problems and illegal actions of the Dept of Energy Climate Working Group report based on the emails that came out yesterday from @envdefensefund.bsky.social lawsuit: www.edf.org/media/newly-... I would just add a few things re NCA5 1/
Newly Disclosed Records Show Trump Administration’s Unlawful Actions Related to Secretly Formed “Climate Working Group”
The records are part of more than 68,000 pages of records obtained by EDF and the Union of Concerned Scientists as as the result of a lawsuit.
www.edf.org
January 23, 2026 at 2:57 PM
My colleague @bobkopp.net has a nice thread rundown of the many problems and illegal actions of the Dept of Energy Climate Working Group report based on the emails that came out yesterday from @envdefensefund.bsky.social lawsuit: www.edf.org/media/newly-... I would just add a few things re NCA5 1/
In the meantime, the US has decided actual UN agencies and agreements that have helped govern the commons since WW2 are no longer worth being a part of 🙈
Trump’s Board of Peace logo is basically the UN logo, except dipped in gold and edited so the world only includes America.
January 22, 2026 at 3:44 PM
In the meantime, the US has decided actual UN agencies and agreements that have helped govern the commons since WW2 are no longer worth being a part of 🙈
"Why don't scientists engage more with public?" people always complain. But our outlets are slow and limited! Case in pt: I wrote editorial immediately after recent Trump admin withdrawal from global enviro science. Rejected from newspaper after waiting several days to hear so lost timeliness 1/2
January 21, 2026 at 12:46 PM
"Why don't scientists engage more with public?" people always complain. But our outlets are slow and limited! Case in pt: I wrote editorial immediately after recent Trump admin withdrawal from global enviro science. Rejected from newspaper after waiting several days to hear so lost timeliness 1/2
Reposted by Pam McElwee
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 PM
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
Reposted by Pam McElwee
Must-read reporting by @virginiagewin.bsky.social on how US federal actions are affecting science.
By pairing the scale of the damage with the very human, personal stories behind the numbers, she paints a powerful and comprehensive picture of just how thoroughly US science is being hollowed out.
By pairing the scale of the damage with the very human, personal stories behind the numbers, she paints a powerful and comprehensive picture of just how thoroughly US science is being hollowed out.
‘Shattered’: US scientists speak out about how Trump policies disrupted their careers
Researchers lay bare the human toll of lay-offs, funding cuts and attacks on science one year after the president’s return to the White House.
www.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Must-read reporting by @virginiagewin.bsky.social on how US federal actions are affecting science.
By pairing the scale of the damage with the very human, personal stories behind the numbers, she paints a powerful and comprehensive picture of just how thoroughly US science is being hollowed out.
By pairing the scale of the damage with the very human, personal stories behind the numbers, she paints a powerful and comprehensive picture of just how thoroughly US science is being hollowed out.
Today marks the official departure of the US from the Paris Agreement. We have withdrawn before (under Trump 1) and we rejoined immediately under a new President. This time may be harder given intention of Trump 2 to withdraw from #UNFCCC as well. But I hope we will be back! 🗼❤️🇺🇸 #climatechange
January 20, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Today marks the official departure of the US from the Paris Agreement. We have withdrawn before (under Trump 1) and we rejoined immediately under a new President. This time may be harder given intention of Trump 2 to withdraw from #UNFCCC as well. But I hope we will be back! 🗼❤️🇺🇸 #climatechange
I'm glad Natl Endowment for Humanities is giving grants again, but a reminder that nearly all grants awarded Jan 2025 got cancelled by DOGE, including mine, & haven't been recovered yet despite federal judge ruling they should be reinstated. Still tied up in court #NEH www.neh.gov/sites/defaul...
www.neh.gov
January 20, 2026 at 1:05 PM
I'm glad Natl Endowment for Humanities is giving grants again, but a reminder that nearly all grants awarded Jan 2025 got cancelled by DOGE, including mine, & haven't been recovered yet despite federal judge ruling they should be reinstated. Still tied up in court #NEH www.neh.gov/sites/defaul...
Reposted by Pam McElwee
Dr. King believed our democracy would only make sense when every child was fed, every mind was educated, and every community had dignity and freedom.
That vision is still unfolding. So, on this MLK Day, let us recommit to the work of building the world he dared to imagine.
That vision is still unfolding. So, on this MLK Day, let us recommit to the work of building the world he dared to imagine.
January 19, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Dr. King believed our democracy would only make sense when every child was fed, every mind was educated, and every community had dignity and freedom.
That vision is still unfolding. So, on this MLK Day, let us recommit to the work of building the world he dared to imagine.
That vision is still unfolding. So, on this MLK Day, let us recommit to the work of building the world he dared to imagine.
If you know anything about the Vietnam War, you know why Hmong Americans are here in the US - they were US allies who risked their lives in Laos to aid the US and had to flee at the end of the war when the Pathet Lao won. Infuriating that members of their community are being targeted like this
New — I wrote about ChongLy Scott Thao, the elderly Hmong American wrongly arrested and forced out of his home by ICE in his underwear during the punishing Minnesota winter, what witnesses saw, and DHS's racist claim that he fit the description of another Asian man they were looking for.
My story:
My story:
Behind the disturbing image of ICE snatching a half-naked, elderly Hmong American from his home
DHS has claimed without evidence that they were looking for someone else when they took ChongLy Scott Thao.
www.thehandbasket.co
January 20, 2026 at 1:00 AM
If you know anything about the Vietnam War, you know why Hmong Americans are here in the US - they were US allies who risked their lives in Laos to aid the US and had to flee at the end of the war when the Pathet Lao won. Infuriating that members of their community are being targeted like this
Good piece highlighting the work of the USAA-IPCC in supporting US climate scientists working on AR7 (more than 70 total scientists- we are still in!) @bobkopp.net
Today's story with @saraschonhardt.bsky.social on the implications of Trump's stated intent to withdraw from the IPCC (which has been the de facto situation for most of the past year) and how some organizations are stepping up to fill in the gaps. www.eenews.net/articles/the...
The IPCC said humans cause climate change. Is that why Trump quit it?
Withdrawing from the world’s premier climate science organization supports the president’s views about global warming.
www.eenews.net
January 9, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Good piece highlighting the work of the USAA-IPCC in supporting US climate scientists working on AR7 (more than 70 total scientists- we are still in!) @bobkopp.net
Statement on US Withdrawal from the IPCC by the US Academic Alliance for the IPCC:
Yesterday’s announcement that the Trump Administration intends to withdraw the US from participation in the IPCC, along with a host of other global intergovernmental organizations, is disappointing but not surprising
Yesterday’s announcement that the Trump Administration intends to withdraw the US from participation in the IPCC, along with a host of other global intergovernmental organizations, is disappointing but not surprising
January 8, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Statement on US Withdrawal from the IPCC by the US Academic Alliance for the IPCC:
Yesterday’s announcement that the Trump Administration intends to withdraw the US from participation in the IPCC, along with a host of other global intergovernmental organizations, is disappointing but not surprising
Yesterday’s announcement that the Trump Administration intends to withdraw the US from participation in the IPCC, along with a host of other global intergovernmental organizations, is disappointing but not surprising
Reposted by Pam McElwee
IPCC | \ ˌī-(ˌ)pē-(ˌ)sē-ˈsē \ | verb: 1: to assess and synthesize vast amounts of scientific literature on a complex topic 2: to be a pain in the Trump administration's side just by stating the truth about topics they don't like, through honest assessments and international collaborations.
January 8, 2026 at 4:41 PM
IPCC | \ ˌī-(ˌ)pē-(ˌ)sē-ˈsē \ | verb: 1: to assess and synthesize vast amounts of scientific literature on a complex topic 2: to be a pain in the Trump administration's side just by stating the truth about topics they don't like, through honest assessments and international collaborations.
It is a blow but US climate scientists will stay engaged. We have to.
Extraordinary that the US is pulling out of the IPCC and UNFCCC
There's no getting around it, this is a blow to international climate science and climate diplomacy
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
There's no getting around it, this is a blow to international climate science and climate diplomacy
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United
www.whitehouse.gov
January 8, 2026 at 4:35 PM
It is a blow but US climate scientists will stay engaged. We have to.
The federal govt may be burning global cooperation on climate science to the ground, but we can and are pushing back where we can. We have more than 70 US scientists currently on IPCC reports, with more to be selected this month for CDR methods report. The USAA-IPCC coalition is up for this fight.
The US has some of the world’s best climate scientists (and more of them than anywhere else) & has contributed disproportionately to understanding the climate system. It’s idiotic for the US to withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change & the IPCC but it’s on brand for this regime.
Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United
www.whitehouse.gov
January 8, 2026 at 2:38 PM
The federal govt may be burning global cooperation on climate science to the ground, but we can and are pushing back where we can. We have more than 70 US scientists currently on IPCC reports, with more to be selected this month for CDR methods report. The USAA-IPCC coalition is up for this fight.
It's late & it's been a horrific day, but the Trump admin has pulled the US out of all the international environmental institutions I have been deeply involved in: IPCC, IPBES, IUCN and many others (UN Water, UN Oceans, UNREDD, ITTO, etc). And of course UNFCCC too www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
www.whitehouse.gov
January 8, 2026 at 3:16 AM
It's late & it's been a horrific day, but the Trump admin has pulled the US out of all the international environmental institutions I have been deeply involved in: IPCC, IPBES, IUCN and many others (UN Water, UN Oceans, UNREDD, ITTO, etc). And of course UNFCCC too www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Extremely worrying news out of India. Targeting #climate activists with trumped up charges is something #Vietnam has done the past few years. All driven by fears of declining revenue by the fossil fuel industry which has captured the state
www.climatechangenews.com/2026/01/07/i...
www.climatechangenews.com/2026/01/07/i...
Indian police raid homes and offices of climate activists
The Indian government has accused Harjeet Singh of promoting the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative which it says could compromise energy security, and hinted at a further crackdown The I...
www.climatechangenews.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Extremely worrying news out of India. Targeting #climate activists with trumped up charges is something #Vietnam has done the past few years. All driven by fears of declining revenue by the fossil fuel industry which has captured the state
www.climatechangenews.com/2026/01/07/i...
www.climatechangenews.com/2026/01/07/i...
See ya, sucky 2025 💩:
- 2 research grants terminated
- cut from my advisory board role at EPA
- much time responding to Administration's attempts to gut climate science (dropping IPCC and NCA6, DOE and EPA trying to deregulate GHGs)
- countries blocking welcome of global assessment report I co-led
- 2 research grants terminated
- cut from my advisory board role at EPA
- much time responding to Administration's attempts to gut climate science (dropping IPCC and NCA6, DOE and EPA trying to deregulate GHGs)
- countries blocking welcome of global assessment report I co-led
a dumpster is on fire in a flooded area with the words everything 's fine below it .
ALT: a dumpster is on fire in a flooded area with the words everything 's fine below it .
media.tenor.com
December 31, 2025 at 11:31 PM
See ya, sucky 2025 💩:
- 2 research grants terminated
- cut from my advisory board role at EPA
- much time responding to Administration's attempts to gut climate science (dropping IPCC and NCA6, DOE and EPA trying to deregulate GHGs)
- countries blocking welcome of global assessment report I co-led
- 2 research grants terminated
- cut from my advisory board role at EPA
- much time responding to Administration's attempts to gut climate science (dropping IPCC and NCA6, DOE and EPA trying to deregulate GHGs)
- countries blocking welcome of global assessment report I co-led
I chaired an amazing panel session at #AGU25 last week on best practices and innovations in climate assessments, from state and local experiences like in CA to the global O3 assessments of the Montreal Protocol. And now we hear today #NCA6 is to be written in just a few weeks by contrarians and AI 😩
December 22, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I chaired an amazing panel session at #AGU25 last week on best practices and innovations in climate assessments, from state and local experiences like in CA to the global O3 assessments of the Montreal Protocol. And now we hear today #NCA6 is to be written in just a few weeks by contrarians and AI 😩