Maria Carmen de Mello Lemos is Professor of Environment and Sustainability and co-director of the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Senior Policy Scholar at the Udall Center for the Study of Public Policy at the University of Arizona. Lemos is an established climate policy analyst whose research focuses primarily on environmental public policymaking in Latin America and the US, especially related to climate change adaptation and adaptive capacity building.

Maria Carmen de Mello Lemos
EducationPhD Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT

MSc. Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT

B.S. Economics, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora – UFJF (Brazil)
Occupation(s)Climate policy analyst, professor, senior policy scholar, author, science communicator, mentor
Organization(s)Icarus (Initiative on Climate Adaptation Research and Understanding through the Social Sciences)
Known forEnvironmental policy writer, climate adaptation analyst
Notable workIPCC-AR5 —Chapter 20: Climate-resilient Pathways, NCA4—Chapter 21: Midwest, IPCC-AR4 – Group 7: Industry, Settlement and Society
HonoursJames Martin 21st Century School Fellowship, Kavli Fellow,

Early life and education

edit

Lemos earned her B.S. in Economics from the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, as well as a MSc. and a PhD in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[citation needed]

Career

edit

Research

edit

Lemos has overseen and empirically investigated numerous co-production projects, has worked with a number of knowledge networks, and has decades of experience leading interdisciplinary teams to convey scientific information across diverse audiences. She is also involved in research on the socioenvironmental vulnerability of poor inhabitants of the Mexico/U.S. border region.

During 2006–2007 she was a James Martin 21st Century School Fellow at the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University. She was a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC-AR5Chapter 20[1] Climate-resilient Pathways) and the Fourth US National Climate Assessment (NCA4Chapter 21[2][3] Midwest), as well as a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC-AR4 — Group 7: Industry, Settlement and Society[4]).

Lemos has served in a number of US National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences committees, including Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change (2007 and 2009), America's Climate Choice Science Panel (2010), the Board on Environmental Change and Society (2008–2014), the Council Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program (2011–2013), the Societal Expert Action Network (SEAN) (2021–present), and the Board for Atmospheric Sciences (BASC, 2023–present).[5] She is also the co-founder of Icarus (Initiative on Climate Adaptation Research and Understanding through the Social Sciences), which seeks to foster collaboration and exchange between scholars focusing on vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.

Notable publications

edit

National and synthesis reports

edit
  • US Fourth National Climate Assessment (2018). Midwest: In Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States, Volume II [6]
  • IPCC AR-5 WGII (2014) Chapter 20. Climate-Resilient Pathways: Adaptation, Mitigation, and Sustainable Development.[7]
  • National Research Council (2013). A Review of the Draft 2013 of the National Climate Assessment.[8]
  • National Research Council (2012). A Review of the USGCRP Draft Strategic Plan. Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).[9]
  • National Research Council (2010). Advancing the Science of Climate Change. America's Climate Choices: Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change.[10]
  • National Research Council (2009). Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change. Committee on Strategic Advice on the US Climate Change Science Program.[11]
  • U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research (2008). Looking Toward the Future. In: Decision-Support Experiments and Evaluations using Seasonal-to-Interannual Forecasts and Observational Data: A Focus on Water Resources. A Synthesis Assessment (SAP 5.3).[12]
  • Human Development Report Office (2007). Drought, Governance and Adaptive Capacity in North East Brazil: A Case Study of Ceará. In Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world.[13]
  • Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007). Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.[14]
  • National Research Council (2007). Evaluating Progress of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program: Methods and Preliminary Results.[15]

Other affiliations

edit

Awards and achievements

edit
  • Graduate Studies Scholarship – CAPES, Brazilian Ministry of Education, 1988–1992.
  • MIT-Center for International Studies/MacArthur Program in Transnational Security Summer Research Grant, 1992.
  • MIT-Center for International Studies International Energy and Environment Policy Grants, Japan Endowment Fund, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dissertation Grant 1991–1992.
  • James Martin 21st Century School Fellowship, Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University, England. July 2006 – 2007.
  • Kavli Fellow, US National Academy of Sciences, 2007.
  • Certificate of Tribute by Governor Jennifer M. Grandholm (Michigan) to honor contributions to the science of global climate change" in conjunction with "the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2008.
  • National Science Foundation Distinguished Lecture. "Building Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change". March 12, 2015. Washington DC. 
  • The Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. Office of the Governor, Indiana. U2U—for Useful to Usable, a research project focused on improving climate decision making among corn farmers in IN, MI, IA and NE and funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USADA).  

References

edit
  1. ^ IPCC AR-5 WGII (2014) Chapter 20. Climate-Resilient Pathways: Adaptation, Mitigation, and Sustainable Development. Coordinating Lead Authors: Fatima Denton (Gambia), Thomas Wilbanks (EUA). Lead Authors: Achala Abeyshinghe (Sri Lanka), Ian Burton (Canada), Q. Gao (China), Maria Carmen Lemos (EUA), T. Masui (Japan), Karen O’Brien (Norway), Koko Warner (Germany).  
  2. ^ US Fourth National Climate Assessment. Angel, J., C. Swanston, B.M. Boustead, K.C. Conlon, K.R. Hall, J.L. Jorns, K.E. Kunkel, M.C. Lemos, B. Lofgren, T.A. Ontl, J. Posey, K. Stone, G. Takle, and D. Todey, 2018: Midwest. In Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II[Reidmiller, D.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, K.L.M. Lewis, T.K. Maycock, and B.C. Stewart (eds.)]. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 872–940. doi: 10.7930/NCA4.2018.CH21
  3. ^ "UM Researchers helped write National Climate Assessment, focused on impact in Great Lakes". WXYZ Detroit. November 28, 2018.
  4. ^ Wilbanks, T.J., P. Romero Lankao, M. Bao, F. Berkhout, S. Cairncross, J.-P. Ceron, M. Kapshe, R. Muir-Wood and R. Zapata-Marti, 2007: Industry, settlement and society. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 357–390.
  5. ^ "Maria C. Lemos". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  6. ^ US Fourth National Climate Assessment. Angel, J., C. Swanston, B.M. Boustead, K.C. Conlon, K.R. Hall, J.L. Jorns, K.E. Kunkel, M.C. Lemos, B. Lofgren, T.A. Ontl, J. Posey, K. Stone, G. Takle, and D. Todey, 2018: Midwest. In Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II[Reidmiller, D.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, K.L.M. Lewis, T.K. Maycock, and B.C. Stewart (eds.)]. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 872–940. doi: 10.7930/NCA4.2018.CH21
  7. ^ IPCC AR-5 WGII (2014) Chapter 20. Climate-Resilient Pathways: Adaptation, Mitigation, and Sustainable Development. Coordinating Lead Authors: Fatima Denton (Gambia), Thomas Wilbanks (EUA). Lead Authors: Achala Abeyshinghe (Sri Lanka), Ian Burton (Canada), Q. Gao (China), Maria Carmen Lemos (EUA), T. Masui (Japan), Karen O’Brien (Norway), Koko Warner (Germany).
  8. ^ National Research Council (2013). A Review of the Draft 2013 of the National Climate Assessment. National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), Washington DC. Coauthor.
  9. ^ National Research Council (2012). A Review of the USGCRP Draft Strategic Plan. National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), Washington DC. Co-author.
  10. ^ National Research Council (2010). Advancing the Science of Climate Change. America's Climate Choices: Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change; National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. Co-author with 16 other authors.
  11. ^ National Research Council (2009). Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change. Committee on Strategic Advice on the US Climate Change Science Program. National Research Council of the National Academies, Washington DC. Co-author with 17 other authors.
  12. ^ Ingram, H., D.L. Feldman, K.L. Jacobs, N. Mantua, M.C. Lemos, B. Morehouse, A. M. Waple, and N. Beller-Simms (2008) Looking Toward the Future. In: Decision-Support Experiments and Evaluations using Seasonal-to-Interannual Forecasts and Observational Data: A Focus on Water Resources. A Synthesis Assessment (SAP 5.3) Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research [Nancy BellerSimms, Helen Ingram, David Feldman, Nathan Mantua, Katharine L. Jacobs, and Anne M. Waple (eds.)]. NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC, pp. 141–154.  
  13. ^ Lemos, M.C. (2007). Drought, Governance and Adaptive Capacity in North East Brazil: A Case Study of Ceará. In Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world. Human Development Report 2007/2008. Human Development Report Office.
  14. ^ Wilbanks, T.J., P. Romero Lankao, M. Bao, F. Berkhout, S. Cairncross, J.-P. Ceron, M. Kapshe, R. Muir-Wood and R. Zapata-Marti (lead authors); M. Agnew, R. Black, T. Downing, S. Gossling, M.C. Lemos, K. O’Brien, C. Pfister, W. Solecki, C. Vogel (contributing authors) (2007): Industry, settlement and society. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 357390.
  15. ^ National Research Council (2007). Evaluating Progress of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program: Methods and Preliminary Results, National Research Council (NRC). National Research Council of the National Academies, Washington DC. Co-author with 17 other authors.  
  16. ^ "RAL Advisory Panel | Research Applications Laboratory". ral.ucar.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
edit