Speaker explores "Climate Conversations Across Differences"

The Flathead Reservation Human Rights Coalition hosts “Climate Conversations Across Differences” at 7 p.m. April 3 at the Mission Valley United Methodist Church atop Post Creek Hill, north of St. Ignatius. A potluck precedes the free presentation at 6 p.m.

Winona Bateman, director of Families for a Livable Climate, has been facilitating conversations about climate change for the past few years.

Due to many factors, climate change is a taboo topic for many people, and in many communities. In a time when people can seem more and more divided, Bateman asks “how can we begin having more climate conversations so that we can work together to address this critical issue which is shaping our future?”

Her solution is to host climate conversations in more spaces, supported by respectful dialogue, curiosity, and a commitment to upholding the relationships in the conversation, rather than “winning” the argument.

Bateman also believes that storytelling serves as one of the best foundations for meaningful conversations about climate change, especially across differences. “These conversations are critical to addressing climate change, because more than any issue of our time, it is at once a problem with clear solutions, and an opportunity for great creativity as to how we implement those solutions,” she says.

For more information on this non-partisan gathering, call FRHRC at 406-203-2179.