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Michael Paul Nelson

@michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social
508 followers 239 following 180 posts

philosopher, writer, consultant, speaker, professor. environmental and climate ethics, forests and wildlife, concepts, reason, arguments. undisciplined. www.michaelpnelson.com

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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
New in Nature Climate Change w/ for ecologist @christopherstill and me, a philosopher 2021 PNW heat dome revealed physio. limits in forests our frameworks aren't built to see - understanding requires science and ethics Extreme heat isn't just a stressor. It's a reckoning. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
doi.org
Extreme heat and the limits of tree and forest resilience - Nature Climate Change
The 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome shows how acute thermal stress challenges prevailing assumptions about ecological resilience and adaptation. Extreme heat events are revealing physiological limits...
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Short response to the boogeyman of "religious ecology" with colleague Kathleen Dean Moore. academic.oup.com/fisheries/ad...
academic.oup.com
“Religious” critique rests on two mistakes and an irony
In a guest column, Lackey (2026) deplores what he calls “Religious ecology.” We, environmental philosophers, suggest his argument rests on two common but c
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Barriers to scaling climate intervention, like CO₂ removal or solar radiation modification, include social acceptance and economic considerations, and getting rid of social science from NSF will hinder us from figuring out what might work in the future.
theatlantic.com
The Trump Administration Is Done With Social Science
The National Science Foundation division that covers social, behavioral, and economic sciences is in the crosshairs.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
The fallacy of false dichotomy and forestry in the PNW, with colleague @thdeluca.bsky.social link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007...
link.springer.com
Forest Conservation Beyond False Dichotomy: Notes from the Pacific Northwest
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Scott Doney @scottdoney.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
New perspective article by @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social in @nature.com is worth reading for anyone in environmental, ecological, climate & field geosciences ‘Continuity over novelty’: why environmental science needs to rethink its focus www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
‘Continuity over novelty’: why environmental science needs to rethink its focus
With government funding in decline, researchers should prioritize data collation and training the next generation of scientists.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Excellent piece! - "Conservation is not just a technical exercise, it is a moral choice about how we relate to the living world, "When nature is valued primarily for its usefulness to humans, it becomes easier to justify its exploitation." www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/...
dailymaverick.co.za
When science overreaches: Conservation needs ethics, not just ecology and economics
Scientists have a vital role to play. But they cannot arbitrate values, nor legitimise them by implication. When they attempt to do so, they risk overstepping their authority and end up narrowing, rat...
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Mood
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Just spotted! - the rare and elusive tenure track position. This one in forest conservation genetics in my department - Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State. Help spread the word! jobs.oregonstate.edu/postings/178...
jobs.oregonstate.edu
Assistant Professor: Forest Genetics and Genomics
The Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 9-month, tenure-track, Assistant Professor: Forest Genetics and Genomics position.We seek a scholar-edu...
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
‘Continuity over novelty’: why environmental science needs to rethink its focus www.nature.com/articles/d41... Happy to share a full version if you can't access the whole essay.
nature.com
‘Continuity over novelty’: why environmental science needs to rethink its focus
With government funding in decline, researchers should prioritize data collation and training the next generation of scientists.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
There's a simple, humble, and mature way to avoid this in the first place: STOP NAMING THINGS AFTER HUMAN BEINGS! www.opb.org/article/2026...
opb.org
Oregon institutions reckon with removing Cesar Chavez’s name following sexual abuse report
Oregon leaders condemned the union leader Cesar Chavez after a news report detailed extensive sexual abuse allegation against him dating back decades.
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Johnnie Jae @johnniejae.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Stevie and the Sacred Animals follows Stevie, a smart, spunky 6-year-old Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) girl who moves from the city to her First Nation community. redpopnews.com/stevie-and-t...
redpopnews.com
"Stevie and the Sacred Animals" Brings Anishinaabe Storytelling & Language to Preschool TV With a 2027 Premiere
A new Indigenous-led kids series is officially on the way. Manitoba's Eagle Vision and Ontario's Sinking Ship Entertainment Inc. have secured the greenlight for Stevie and the Sacred Animals, a 52-epi...
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
"...we conclude that advocacy can increase the climate scientist's average perceived credibility" gc.copernicus.org/articles/9/6...
gc.copernicus.org
The effect of advocacy on perceived credibility of climate scientists in a Dutch text on greening of gardens
Abstract. Many climate scientists refrain from advocacy and activism because they worry it decreases their credibility. Through a survey of almost 1000 Dutch respondents, we compare responses to a tex...
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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 25/01/2026
tomorrow, StandWithMinnesota.com will hit a million site visits and over 650,000 unique visitors. i made it 10 days ago with $600 from you guys for hosting and cloudflare. thank you. thank you.
standwithminnesota.com
Stand With Minnesota Donation Directory
Stand With Minnesota is a hub for supporting, learning, and taking action to support Minnesotans impacted by ICE and federal enforcement.
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Susan Prichard @susanprichard.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
It's time for Michael Franti and Brighter Day this morning. Sharing if you need it too. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ7e...
youtube.com
Brighter Day
YouTube video by Michael Franti - Topic
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
“When people move beyond caricatures of conflict and recognize the common ground that already exists, we can begin to shift the conversation and maybe even find ways to live not just with wolves, but with each other.” www.hcn.org/articles/ame...
hcn.org
Americans generally like wolves − except when reminded of politics - High Country News
Recent studies found that attitudes toward wolves became more polarized when people’s political identities were activated.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
Thoughtful piece on the value of the humanities in contemporary life. open.substack.com/pub/stevenmi...
open.substack.com
The Humanities Don’t Have a Relevance Problem—They Have a Preparation Problem
Why English and Philosophy majors are already essential to the AI economy, and universities still don’t know it
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Happy Solstice Everyone! The light turns—reminding us that even at the edge, something generous is beginning again.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
14, 2 year post-docs for “early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA” uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
uni-freiburg.de
Call for Applications: Early Career Rescue Fellowship – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Online finance/budgets course wanted: A colleague and I are looking for an online course focused on university finance and budgets, or maybe more generally organizational finance and budgets. Let me know if you have any suggestions and links. Thanks!
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
The second sabbatical of my career begins in 3 weeks, I’m soooo ready!!!
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
philosophersmag.com/the-end-of-t...
philosophersmag.com
The End of the Humanities? - The Philosophers' Magazine
Martha Nussbaum tells James Garvey why the humanities are under threat.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
😳
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rob mahurin @robtasm.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Best advice is to wear little bells, so the bears know you're coming, and carry bear spray. It also helps to be able to identify scat. Black bear scat has undigested bits of berries and twigs. Grizzly bear scat smells like bear spray and has little bells in it.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
@brianandreas.bsky.social @storypeople.bsky.social
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
“We are nearly out of time…but not out of choices. The whale asks for more space. The river asks for standing. The tern asks for habitat and room. We can give it.” Lovely piece! www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
The last frontier of empathy: why we still struggle to see ourselves as animals | Megan Mayhew Bergman
Champions of exceptionalism say humans hold a unique moral status. Yet there’s only one species recklessly destroying the planet it needs to survive
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
So glad, you and Johnny are definitely Number 1!
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Paolo Crosetto @paolocrosetto.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma. It's *scientific publishing*. We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing. Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820 Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_... Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
“It still feels like something is chasing me, but nowadays, I walk alone.” @sarahkendzior.bsky.social sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/election-d...
sarahkendzior.substack.com
Election Day, 1990
A tale of simpler times, and the poem I wrote about Trump when I was twelve.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
Some, I hear, might even spend 75% of their time thinking about this, or contacting colleagues at other places, or reading about emigration, etc.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
"He took a hard look around He saw people were starving all over the place While others were painting the town" www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV9d...
youtube.com
07 - Randy Newman - The World Isn't Fair
YouTube video by Eitoants P.
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Jarod K. Anderson @jarodkanderson.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Rainy day thought. #poetry
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Professors in a lot of places in the US feel under siege.
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majordopolis @majordopolis.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
“If we know something irrevocable has been set into motion — if we already know where the story begins and where it ends — what, then, do we do with the middle? With that space of possibility in between?” Yes! In this space there’s a lot of work to do! www.hcn.org/issues/57-10...
hcn.org
Watching the Oregon ash vanish - High Country News
The emerald ash borer is killing the native tree. How do we make the most of the time while it’s still here?
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
“But as long as we are alive, as long as we are resolved, as long as we are taking action to stop the worst of this, as long as we are trying to make America and the world even a bit better — have no doubt: We will triumph.”
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Greg Olear @gregolear.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
There is no current writer whose wisdom and insight I respect more than @mollymckew.bsky.social’s. This piece beautifully sums up where we are, what we face, and how we shall prevail, and it has left me in tears:
open.substack.com
The sacred American spaces desecrated by the American president
The American faithful must find their voice if the divine American idea is to survive
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Jarod K. Anderson @jarodkanderson.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Writer milestone! I have a poem in a biology textbook! I’m really delighted by this. (Thanks to Margaret Riley and Princeton University Press for reaching out.)
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
“The higher-education sector remains disorganized,” the "administration will continue to use that to their advantage.” www.chronicle.com/article/many...
chronicle.com
Many Colleges Have Turned Down Trump’s Compact. Now Some Are Willing to Talk.
The openness to talking to the White House points to the continued division in the sector about how best to interact with the Trump administration.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
You mean someone would have paid me for this? Well, phuck! 😖 #NoKings
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
#nokings #philosophersandothersensiblepeopleagainstkings
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Molly McKew @mollymckew.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
For no reason at all: I suggest you take time & watch footage from the Hong Kong democracy protests — specifically 2019-2020 protests. Get a sense of what tech-enabled anti-protest policing looks like. Those kids came up with wild stuff to withstand/neutralize “non-lethal” crowd control techniques.
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Sarah Kendzior @sarahkendzior.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Quote from THE LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
Highly recommend this book!
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
The only Kings I want in my country! youtu.be/sxkjvKBPQjo?...
youtu.be
The Kings - This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide
YouTube video by thekingsarehere
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
Sweden: The country 'prescribed' by doctors
A cheeky new ad campaign claims that visiting the Nordic nation and embracing Swedish culture can improve your wellbeing – and it's turning to medical experts to make its case.
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
share.google/ziEXBOX9CEe5...
share.google
Response to the ‘Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education’ | Office of the President
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Last installment of short films from the Arachne Project. What a nice series! www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
The Arachne Project - YouTube
A changing world and a changing vision of the role of humans in the world invite a radical reimagining of conservation. What emerging visions and values shou...
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Sarah Kendzior @sarahkendzior.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Go buy THEY KNEW. It holds up even in the stupidest situations. In fact, the stupider the situation, the better it holds up!
Book THEY KNEW published 2022
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Michael Paul Nelson @michaelpaulnelson.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
We have a cool new post-doc appointment available at Oregon State, with secure private foundation funding! Help us help organizations who aspire to "nature-centrism" become more "nature-centric." #naturecentrism #sustainability #conservation #ecocentrism hr.oregonstate.edu/open-postdoc...
hr.oregonstate.edu
Postdoctoral Research: Mainstreaming nature-centric thinking in organizations | Office of University Human Resources
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