A new study published in Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health reveals how cultural values and community ties shape the health, resilience, and well-being of immigrant communities—especially when facing natural disasters that are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. Victoria Ramenzoni, associate professor in the Department of Human Ecology and an affiliate […]
Human Ecology
Rutgers–Community Partnership Shows How Mutual Aid Transforms Climate Research and Builds Trust in Marginalized Urban Neighborhoods
While equity in climate adaptation is increasingly recognized, university-based research can inadvertently reinforce inequities. Inequities often arise when research fails to engage communities, overlooks relevant concerns, lacks trust, or misinterprets responses due to insufficient cultural understanding. Mutual aid organizations, inherently community-based, foster resilience and solidarity, addressing unmet needs while building collective trust. A new article, […]
RCEI Scholars Discuss Challenges to EPA’s Endangerment Finding and Rapid Responses by the Scientific Community
On September 29, the Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute (RCEI), in collaboration with the Department of Human Ecology, hosted a forum at which Rutgers experts discussed recent U.S. government-led efforts to repeal greenhouse gas regulations in the United States and the scientific community’s rapid responses to these efforts. The forum featured RCEI affiliates, William Hallman, Distinguished […]
UN Panel Selects Three Rutgers Researchers as Lead Authors on Next Global Climate Report
A United Nations-affiliated science panel has named three Rutgers scientists as lead authors on a report that will serve as the next worldwide assessment of climate change. Rutgers University-New Brunswick faculty members Robert Kopp, Pamela McElwee and Kevon Rhiney were selected to contribute to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Seventh Assessment Report. The reports produced by the […]
Report Urges Global Leaders to Address Environmental, Social and Economic Crises Comprehensively
A Rutgers scientist says isolated attempts to address interconnected issues will not succeed Pamela McElwee, a professor in the Department of Human Ecology at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, has spent the last 25 years studying human adaptation to global environmental change. She has served as an adviser on environmental policy to […]
Pamela McElwee Participates in UN Convention on Biological Diversity
Pamela McElwee, professor in the Department of Human Ecology and affiliate of Rutgers Climate Energy Institute, was the lone Rutgers representative at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, when ended on November 2 in Cali, Columbia. Rutgers has been an observer organization since 2022 and McElwee participated in […]
Rutgers Global Grant Awardee Jack Harris Develops Study Abroad Course on Scottish Sustainability
From June 2- 20, Jack Harris, an assistant teaching professor and Program Director in Sustainability in the Department of Human Ecology, is in Scotland meeting with academic and community partners, thanks to a Rutgers Global Grant to develop a study abroad program on “Scottish Sustainability.” The 3-credit, 3-week course, to be launched in June […]
International Court Issues Unanimous Advisory Ruling on Case Involving Climate Change Obligations of Nation States
On May 21, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delivered its Advisory Opinion on the request submitted to the Tribunal by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law. ITLOS is an independent judicial body established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. […]
Naa Oyo Kwate to Receive the 2024 Best Book Award in the Field of Urban Affairs
Naa Oyo Kwate, associate professor in the Department of Human Ecology, has been selected to receive the Urban Affairs Association’s (UAA) 2024 Best Book in the Field of Urban Affairs Award for White Burgers, Black Cash: Fast Food from Black Exclusion to Exploitation. It was among 64 books based on rigorous research on an urban […]
Human Ecology Faculty Angie Oberg Appointed Senior Director of Climate Action and Sustainability
Announcement by Brian Ballentine, Senior Vice President, University Strategy I am pleased to announce the appointment of Angela Oberg as Senior Director of Climate Action and Sustainability, overseeing the Office of Climate Action. In this role, Dr. Oberg will serve as the university’s inaugural Chief Climate Officer. President Holloway formed the Office of Climate Action in September […]











