Conference delves into effects of climate change on native people

As the planet warms and oceans rise, indigenous people around the world find themselves directly and disproportionately confronting climate changes that threaten long-held ways of life.

The vulnerability and resilience of native peoples to a shifting environment will take center stage at the upcoming third annual Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples Conference at the University of Oregon. The two-day event will discuss issues faced by native peoples, research by UO students through ground-breaking partnerships and a talk by one of the nation’s leading figures on the effects of climate change on indigenous people.

The event takes place Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 2 and 3, and is free and open to the public. A complete schedule is available here. Registration is optional and can be done on the conference website.

More than an academic symposium, the conference is a rare intersection of student involvement, on-the-ground research and original problem-solving. It features work by dozens of UO students in three different courses that examine climate change from the perspective of people who are among the first to feel it in their daily lives.

“This event not only examines critical issues related to climate change and indigenous peoples, but it also features 63 UO undergraduates who have done high-quality research through three innovative Robert D. Clark Honors College and environmental studies courses,” said history professor Mark Carey, associate dean of the Honors College and an organizer of the event. “The insights and contributions from these students are incredible, with implications for the general public, indigenous students and tribal nations more broadly.” ...