New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 23, 2020) – Rutgers Professor Pamela McElwee, an expert on Vietnam environmental issues, is available for interviews on the devastating flooding in that country this month and the flood threat posed by Typhoon Saudel.
McElwee, who has done research in the flood-prone central part of Vietnam for 20 years, can also discuss climate projections for Vietnam, adaptation measures and the general vulnerability to climate change throughout Vietnam.
“Vietnam is a country that is used to regular floods and hurricanes, but this month’s rainfall levels are extraordinary and it will go down as one of the most devastating seasons in the past few decades,” said McElwee, an associate professor in the Department of Human Ecology in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. “While it’s difficult to determine how much of these extreme events are directly due to climate change, we know that under business as usual scenarios, Vietnam’s central coast is projected to experience even more rainfall in the fall rainy season, and in spurts of shorter duration. The impact of the current floods shows us just how dangerous these projections are and how difficult it will be to adapt our way out of the problem.”
Professor McElwee is available to comment at pamela.mcelwee@rutgers.edu
###
Broadcast interviews: Rutgers University has broadcast-quality TV and radio studios available for remote live or taped interviews with Rutgers experts. For more information, contact Neal Buccino at neal.buccino@echo.rutgers.edu
ABOUT RUTGERS—NEW BRUNSWICK
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is where Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, began more than 250 years ago. Ranked among the world’s top 60 universities, Rutgers’s flagship is a leading public research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. It has an internationally acclaimed faculty, 12 degree-granting schools and the Big Ten Conference’s most diverse student body.
