KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives unites eleven churches and religious organizations in faithful action for ecological justice and human rights.
Here we offer KAIROS' analysis of emerging issues, or matters of justice that have a particular impact on Indigenous peoples, communities in the global South, and many others. Here we try to raise questions of ethics and values as well as read between the lines of contentious issues. We hope you enjoy the read!
All content has been written or approved by KAIROS unless otherwise indicated. For permission to reprint or distribute, contact info@kairoscanada.org
Provisions of the 2012 federal budget have important implications for several KAIROS priorities, including justice for Indigenous peoples, and ecological sustainability as well as the quality of Official Development Assistance. Equity for Indigenous Peoples in Canada The budget announces $275 million over three years for First Nations education ($100 million for early literacy and other programs, and $175 million to build and renovate schools on reserves). This is only half what is needed to bring reserve schools up to Canadian standards. Anishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy says that in discussions with Ottawa on this issue, “... it was $500 million to try to bring … [Read more...]
KAIROS’ 60 page 2011 study “Pumped Up: How Canada Subsidizes Fossil Fuels at the Expense of Green of Green Alternatives” demonstrates that the fossil fuel industry receives subsidies amounting to 1billion dollars a year from the federal government — resources that could be used to offset the costs of transitioning to a green economy. ------- "The global economy is utterly dependent upon the use of oil and other fossil fuels. Paradoxically, the same resource that is vital to our economy is also killing us, sometimes quickly as a result of the intensified conflict over the control and use of fossil fuels, and sometimes slowly through the degradation of the air that we breathe … [Read more...]
4 February 2011 Reverberations from street protests in Tunisia and Egypt continue to be felt around the Arab world, and unrest is spreading. The first spontaneous protests broke out in Tunisia, aimed at its autocratic government. They have since spread across the region. Demonstrators gathered on the streets of Yemen last week for a ''day of rage'' against their government. Syrian activists are planning to hold demonstrations in front of parliament in the capital, Damascus, and the Algerian government is trying to defuse tensions by saying it would lift its 19-year state of emergency. The King of Jordan dismissed his country's government in an attempt to fend off unrest there. Protests … [Read more...]
“You're quite patriotic, aren't you?” a friend once remarked. We were both expats living in California. The concept took me by surprise. I never considered myself a flag-waving nationalist. But yes, I had to admit, I am proud to be Canadian. And why not? My country provided safe haven for runaway slaves. My country trained its military as a peacekeeping force. My country provided sanctuary to conscientious objectors. My country turned the human right to healthcare into a national policy. My country led the Ottawa Treaty to rid the world of landmines. My country recognizes a person's constitutional right to marry the one they love. My country gave birth to the most comprehensive … [Read more...]
By Rachel Warden “Last season I lost my crops because there was too much rain, this season I lost them to drought. We used to be able to distinguish between the seasons, and now we can’t. The rains used to bring relief and life, now they bring more heat and disease. ” These are the words I heard over and over again from small farmers (campesinos) in Ixtahuancan, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. I was there to meet with KAIROS’ partner, the Association for Community Development and Promotion (CEIBA), and to better understand its work in resource extraction and climate change. While climate change has meant a growth in a “green” market in the Global North, for some communities in … [Read more...]
This briefing paper examines two market-based approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions – cap-and-trade systems and carbon taxes. Since the Canadian government proposes to adopt cap-and-trade as a central element of its climate change strategy, this paper pays special attention to the problems associated with this option. These include the negative consequences of turning greenhouse gas emissions into a marketable commodity, especially for communities in the global South. KAIROS Policy Briefing Paper #20: Pricing Carbon: A Primer (November 2009) … [Read more...]
(more photos below) On my recent visit to KAIROS' Mexican partners, I came straight to Tehuantepec, taking a flight from Mexico City to Oaxaca and then the eight-hour bus ride winding down the mountains to the coast. The bus ride was made longer by the number of accidents on the road - I don't remember this number of transport trucks charging up and down the narrow mountain roads, in such a hurry to take resources and mechandise out or through the area, leaving very little for the communities that live there. Tehuantepec is on the Isthmus of Mexico, the narrowest part of the country. Tehuantepec is extremely rich in natural resources - minerals, petroleum, biodiversity, water and now … [Read more...]
KAIROS monitors disappointing Canadian GHG emissions reporting
KAIROS continues to monitor Canada’s annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting required under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Environment Canada has just released the National Inventory Report 1990-2010: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada, which shows an overall 0.25% growth in emissions during the 2009-2010 period. While there was a 43% decline in coal-related emissions between 2005 and 2010, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers reports that there was a 14% growth in emissions from the tar sands sector between 2009 and 2010, with a 2% increase in the per barrel intensity of emissions. Efforts by provinces to reduce … [Read more...]