Published: Feb. 28, 2007

The Natural Resources Law Center and the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law will host a two-day conference on the impact of climate change and its direct effect on society's most vulnerable populations. Called "The Climate of Environmental Justice: Taking Stock," the conference will be held March 16-17, and will be attended by national leaders in the field of environmental justice. "Some people are more equal than others when it comes to bracing ourselves for the impacts of climate change," said Maxine Burkett, associate professor of law at CU and conference organizer. "Whether it's because poor folks lived in the lowest areas of New Orleans when Katrina floodwaters rushed in, or are less able to afford the cooling bill during increasingly frequent heat waves, impoverished communities and communities of color are really bearing the brunt of a more unstable climate." On March 16, at 4:30 p.m., the keynote session will feature Colorado Congressman Mark Udall, who will reflect on his introduction of environmental justice and climate change legislation in Washington, D.C., and Jerome Ringo, chair of the National Wildlife Federation and president of the national Apollo Alliance. A discussion about environmental justice issues in Colorado will follow. On March 17, panelists will discuss the status of the environmental justice movement, new issues related to climate change and potential policy solutions that will help environmental justice practitioners in the field move forward. The conference will feature a number of prominent lawyers and legal scholars including: o Luke Cole, environmental justice and civil rights lawyer in San Francisco, Calif., and director of the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment. o Sheila Foster, professor of law, Fordham University School of Law, who has dedicated her study to exploring the intersection of civil rights and environmental law in "environmental justice." She is the author of numerous publications on civil rights law, constitutional law and environmental law. o Richard Lazarus, professor of environmental and natural resources law at the University of Georgetown, has published law review articles on environmental legal history, the United States Supreme Court and environmental law, the Fifth Amendment just-compensation clause, and environmental justice. The conference is open to scholars, attorneys, non-profit organizations and the public and will be held in the Wolf Law Building located on the south side of the Boulder campus near Baseline Road and Broadway. For more information about the conference, including a complete schedule, registration fees and online registration, visit the Natural Resource's Law Center Web site at www.colorado.edu/law/centers/nrlc/index.htm or call (303) 492-3720. Contact: Maxine Burkett, (303) 492-3720 maxine.burkett@colorado.edu Elisa Dalton, (303) 492-3124 elisa.dalton@colorado.edu Dirk Martin, (303) 492-3140