This workshop explores the role human rights can play to reduce two of the great global risks of the 2020s - climate change and great power war. In the first part of the workshop, students will be introduced to the main threats of the climate emergency and twenty first century militarism. They will study the current and predicted impacts of climate change, and the emerging international regulation around it. This will be followed by a similar introduction to the nature of contemporary warfare, the future battlefield, and the laws of war. In the second part of the workshop, students will explore how non-violent human rights work can reduce these threats, and how both war and climate emergency demand that human rights thinking looks beyond the human to the rights of nature and an all-life perspective. As with all OCHR workshops, participants will hear from eminent scholars and grassroots practitioners. Students attend as part of their college or university cohorts, and our workshop sessions are designed for engagement and collaboration to build community and empower. NOTE: This workshop open only to UO School of Law and only law students will be selected. For more information on how to apply, contact Jennifer Espinola, Law Dean of Students at espinola@uoregon.edu.
Week of March 24th:
Human Rights in War and the Climate Crisis (Oxford, England)
Application Timeline:
Opens now and closes November 2.
In March of 2025, the University of Oregon Law School and Oxford Consortium of Human Rights supported a cohort of Law students to attend the Human Rights in War and Climate Crisis Workshop in Oxford, England.
Current Recipients (2025 Spring Oxford Workshop)
Alicia Davis '26 Law
Alicia is a second-year law student at the University of Oregon with a background in environmental engineering and a strong commitment to human rights and environmental justice. Last summer, she worked with the California Attorney General's Office in the Environment Section, gaining hands-on experience in environmental litigation and policy. She aspires to work in environmental and human rights law, advocating for sustainable and equitable policies.
Andy Essa '26 Law
Andy is a second-year law student at the University of Oregon-School of law. He graduated from the University of California- Davis with a degree in international relations, with minors in French and Human Rights. From last summer until now, he has interned at the Federal Public Defenders in Eugene. In the future, he plans on obtaining a career as a litigator either in criminal, tax, or human rights law.
Ashton Kuhn '26 Law
Ashton is studying human rights and international law at University of Oregon law school. He is currently pursuing a JD with a concentration in international law. This summer he will be continuing learning human rights by working for the special rapporteur for the right to food.
Brenton Riddle '26 Law
Brenton is a law student at the University of Oregon focused on environmental and human rights. He holds degrees in Environmental Science, International Studies, and Comparative History of Ideas from the University of Washington, where he researched infrastructure resilience, Indigenous land rights, and water access. As an Energy Law and Policy Fellow, he tracks state-level decarbonization strategies, environmental justice efforts, and changes in EPA regulations. As Vice President of OUTLaws, he promotes LGBTQ+ equity in the legal field. Brenton aims to leverage law as a tool for justice, ensuring communities are safeguarded from environmental and systemic harm.
Dorrie Sullivan '25 Law
Dorie is a 3L at the University of Oregon School of Law (UO) and is pursuing the Environmental and Natural Resources Law concentration. Before law school, she earned a B.S. in Environmental Science and worked in GIS for a few years in Pittsburgh, PA. She drove cross-country to Oregon for the UO’s top tier environmental law program, but she grew up in Arlington, VA and hopes to return after graduating. Her goal is to become an environmental lawyer with a focus in climate change. She is honored and excited to participate in the OCHR workshop and is looking forward to meeting everyone!