Peace and Justice Studies Spring 2013 Events
March 21-22
ANNUAL J. BONNER RITCHIE DIALOGUE ON PEACE EXPLORES CLIMATE CHANGE AND VIOLENCE
As we heat the planet, both direct and structural violence rise too. Find out why, what a future without change promises, and what can be done to shift the patterns of destruction created by climate change.
Utah Valley University’s Peace and Justice Studies program will bring together scholars and experts from UVU’s campus and across the U.S. to discuss both the problems and solutions of climate change during the annual J. Bonner Ritchie Dialogue on Peace and Justice. This year’s conference, with the theme, “Climate Change and Violence: How Heating the Planet Creates Conflict and Death,” will be held March 21-22 in the UVU Library auditorium, Room LI 120.
The conference will commence on March 21 with a presentation entitled “Human Development, Anthropogenic Climate Change, and the Demands of Peace and Justice,” at 8:30 a.m., by Michael Minch, Ph.D. Dr. Minch serves as director of Peace and Justice Studies and is an associate professor of Philosophy at Utah Valley University. Sustainable development expert, Tariq Banuri, Ph.D., professor of Department of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah and former director of the UN Division for Sustainable Development, will follow at 10 a.m. Dr. Banuri's presentation is entitled “How to Integrate Climate Policy, Energy Access, and Sustainable Development.” At 11:30 a.m., Greg White, Ph.D., professor at Smith College and director of the Global Studies Center, will tackle climate-related migration with his presentation, “Are Climate Refugees a Security Issue?: Unpacking the Debate and Its Implications.” Investigative journalist, author on climate change, and faculty member at the SIT Graduate Institute, Christian Parenti, Ph.D., will speak on “Climate War” at 2:30 p.m. The day will wrap up with a panel discussion from 4 to 5:15 p.m.
The conference will culminate on March 22 with guest speaker His Excellency Talaybek Kydyrov and a screening of the award-winning documentary film, The Island President. His Excellency Kydyrov is the Permanent Representative of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United Nations. His presentation, entitled "Problems of Sustainable Development and Climate Change in Kyrgyzstan," will begin at 10 a.m. At 11 a.m., a free screening of The Island President will bring the two-day conference to a close. The film follows pro-democracy leader, President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives during his first year in office, as he changes international events while confronting catastrophic climate change and a rising ocean threatening the survival of the small island nation. The film was awarded the Cadillac People's Choice Documentary Award at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.