The War Prevention Initiative co-hosted a World Peace Day event on this year’s theme of Climate Action for Peace with numerous Portland-area non-profit organizations, including the Greater Portland Sustainability Education Network (GPSEN), the Hawthorne Hostel, and the United Nations Association of Portland. The event focused on the linkages between climate change and peace by hosting a panel discussion with Portland-area experts, who presented on the various aspects of the relationship between peace and climate change. Patrick Hiller (War Prevention Initiative), Jason Jurjevich (Portland State University Population Research Center), Deidre Schuetz (Citizen’s Climate Lobby), Neeraja Havaligi (GPSEN), and Maxine Fookson (Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility) participated on the panel and Kelsey Coolidge (War Prevention Initiative) moderated. A peace pole dedicated took place after the panel with a speech from Reem Ghunaim (Rotarian Action Group for Peace). The event ended with a series of cultural activities and networking for participants.
