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SUSTAINABILITY

When KAIROS speaks of "sustainability," it speaks of just and equitable economic, social, and environmental systems. People enjoy dignified and meaningful livelihoods. Ecosystems are recognized as complex and essential parts of our existence and are valued for their inherent and life-giving worth.

Living sustainably means understanding that the earth is an integral part of God's Creation, and committing to live within Earth's material limits. Sustainable communities require a just and moral economy where people are empowered to participate in decisions affecting their lives, where public and private institutions are held accountable for the social and environmental consequences of their activities, and where the Earth is honoured rather than exploited or degraded.

Doing justice and living sustainably means understanding that the earth is an integral part of God's wondrous Creation and ensures that we live within the bounds of earth's material limits.

Resources

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Worship in Celebration of Earth Day

March 7, 2012 By
SUS-Earthdayphoto

A complete Earth Day worship service! This resource features everything you need to plan a meaningful and interactive worship in your community focussing on climate justice and Indigenous rights. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Justice, Feature 1, Indigenous Rights, Reflections & Worship, Resource Extraction, Sustainability

New Study Calls for Transition Away from All Fossil Fuels, Including Tar Sands

February 27, 2012 By
Renewable Power Consumption

The front page headline in the February 21 Globe and Mail screamed “Science rides to aid of oil sands.” The story purports to show that a leading Canadian climate scientist indicates that “oil-sands emissions are not the dark-shirted villain some have made them out to be.”[i] However, an examination of the actual study by University of Victoria scientist Andrew Weaver and graduate student Neil Swart demonstrates nothing of the kind. What their commentary on “The Alberta oil sands and climate change” published in the journal Nature Climate Change does show is that the amount of carbon in the tar sands is relatively small when compared with the carbon content of global coal or … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Feature 2, Northern Gateway, Resource Extraction, Sustainability, The Tar Sands Tagged With: ,

Fundamental Justice Issues at Stake in Gateway Pipeline Debate

January 25, 2012 By
SUS-RE-SaraFortMac-Feature

Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project, comprising two 1,170 kilometre pipelines from northern Alberta across Indigenous lands to Kitimat, BC, would carry 525,000 barrels a day of diluted bitumen from the tar sands to the west coast for export, and return 193,000 barrels of condensate (used to thin the bitumen) to Alberta each day, allowing the cycle to continue. This venture poses fundamental questions of social and ecological justice. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Feature 1, Indigenous Rights, Northern Gateway, Resource Extraction, Sustainability, The Tar Sands

Fate of Tar Sands Pipelines Crucial for Climate Justice

January 12, 2012 By
Tar Sands Factories

KAIROS' August 2011 paper outlines the key issues in the controversy over both the Gateway and Keystone pipelines.  Both violate the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Canada has signed. There should be no further approvals of tar sands projects due to their projected carbon emissions, negative impacts on land and biodiversity and on the rights of Indigenous peoples. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Justice, Feature 1, Indigenous Rights, Resource Extraction, Sustainability, The Tar Sands Tagged With: , , , , ,

Congolese Elections—A Step Backward

December 23, 2011 By
DR Congo - Jim Davis + Heritiers de la Justice

While the African Union and neighbouring countries have accepted the results of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) recently held presidential and parliamentary elections, most national and international observers have said that the results were marred by substantial electoral irregularities and that the results lack credibility.  KAIROS human rights partner in eastern DRC, Héritiers de la Justice (www.heritiersdelajustice.org), has joined with other civil society groups in asking that the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) transparently publish the results by voting stations and compilation centres in order to reassure the Congolese people. The DRC’s Supreme … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Congo (DR), Feature 2, Global Partners Tagged With:

ELCIC letter to Minister Kent re. Canada’s withdrawal from Kyoto Protocol

December 15, 2011 By
logos-ELCIC

The Rev. Susan C. Johnson, National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), has written to  Minister of the Environment Peter Kent expressing her disappointment and concern over the recent decision of the government to withdraw Canada from participating in the Kyoto Protocol. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Justice, COP 17 - Durban 2011, Feature 2, Sustainability Tagged With: , ,

Kyoto Withdrawal Diminishes Canada

December 14, 2011 By
Kyoto Globe

Environment Minister Peter Kent’s announcement of Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol not only tarnishes our international reputation but also betrays the efforts of the thousands of Canadians who worked long and hard for Canada to ratify the only legal agreement obliging countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the reasons provided for Canada’s pullout in Mr. Kent’s December 12th statement  contain many distortions. Mr. Kent states that “Before this week, the Kyoto Protocol covered less than 30% of global emissions.” In reality, due to the fact that carbon dioxide emissions remain in the atmosphere for long periods of time, even hundreds of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Justice, COP 17 - Durban 2011, Feature 1, Sustainability Tagged With: , ,

Policy Briefing Paper #30: Coal and Shale Gas Obstacles to Climate Justice

December 14, 2011 By
SUS-RE-Fracking

While much attention has focused on the tar sands as the fastest growing source of Canadian greenhouse gas emissions, climate justice demands that we also curb emissions from coal and shale gas. The most recent KAIROS briefing paper examines these two carbon-intensive energy sources, the dangers they pose and movements to curtail their use. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Briefing Papers, Climate Justice, Feature 1, Resource Extraction, Sustainability

Durban COP 17: Too Little, Too Late

December 13, 2011 By
COP 17 - Durban 2011

Politicians are portraying the outcome of the Durban climate conference as a “success” because they have agreed to keep on talking in the hope of arriving at a legally binding pact by 2015 that would take effect in 2020. Climate scientists warn that if we do not act sooner than 2020, climate change is likely to become catastrophic and irreversible. Current greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction pledges have put the world on track for temperature increases of 2-5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. If global average temperatures rise by 3.5 to 5 degrees, they would increase between 7 and 8 degres in Africa, causing immense human suffering and ecological destruction. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Justice, COP 17 - Durban 2011, Feature 1 Tagged With: , , ,

Too Little, Too Late

December 12, 2011 By

By John Dillon Politicians are portraying the outcome of the Durban climate conference as a “success” because they have agreed to keep on talking in the hope of arriving at a legally binding pact by 2015 that would take effect in 2020. Climate scientists warn that if we do not act sooner than 2020, climate change is likely to become catastrophic and irreversible. Current greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction pledges have put the world on track for temperature increases of 2-5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. If global average temperatures rise by 3.5 to 5 degrees, they would increase between 7 and 8 degres in Africa, causing immense human suffering and ecological … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog - UNFCC Durban 2012 COP17 Tagged With: , ,
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