Conflict and Dispute Resolution program director to talk about climate change

EUGENE, Ore. -- (June 6, 2008) -- With the imminent arrival of "peak oil" and the reality of climate change, people are struggling with the gravity of what is happening to our world.

Tim Hicks, director of the Conflict and Dispute Resolution program at the University Of Oregon School Of Law, will speak about the topic at the EWEB Training Center, 500 East 4th Ave., on Thursday, June 12, from 7-9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Hicks will present and facilitate a discussion titled, "The Climate Change/Peak Oil Crisis and the Human Story: What Role Compassion?"

At the event, Hicks will offer perspectives on climate change, explore how the public can come to terms with its realities, and evaluate the impact of stories about climate change.

"We're often faced with difficult circumstances beyond our control," said Hicks. "While we can't control the events, we can determine how we react and how we react will be more or less helpful.

"How shall we respond to the climate change crisis? It is perhaps bigger and more profound than anything humanity as a whole has had to confront."

The Conflict and Dispute Resolution program at the University of Oregon's School of Law is structured to prepare a new generation of scholars, practitioners and educators to rethink traditional approaches to conflict. Grounded in dispute resolution theory, the program combines broad interdisciplinary training and opportunities for individualized study and skills development.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Credence Sol, director of communications, 541-346-1665, csol@uoregon.edu

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