Ecological Justice
Putting our own house in order: faithful footprints
September 26, 2020
By Lucy Cummings, Faith & the Common Good Across the country, churches are doing their part to address the climate crisis by getting their houses in order and reducing their own carbon emissions. The United Church of Canada is committed…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Global Day of Climate Action
September 25, 2020
Today is the Global Day of Climate Action. Following the immense response to the Global Climate Strike on September 27, 2019, Fridays For Future called for a global day of action that will see demonstrations take place across the globe….
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Climate adaptation
September 24, 2020
Climate change adaptation refers to the actions taken to reduce the negative impacts of climate change that we are already experiencing. While actions to mitigate climate change through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are needed desperately, we cannot ignore that…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Ecological devastation of the Niger Delta by oil extraction should be a concern to the whole world
September 23, 2020
Given the onset of nearly irreversible climate change, the irony is that many areas of the Global South where people have contributed substantially less to greenhouse gas emissions are comparatively more impacted. This inequality is linked to environmental racism and…
Post filed in: Africa, Ecological Justice
Sacrifice Zones
September 23, 2020
Given the onset of nearly irreversible climate change, the irony is that many areas of the Global South where people have contributed substantially less to greenhouse gas emissions are comparatively more impacted. This inequality is linked to environmental racism and…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
#ICantBreathe and Environmental Racism in Ecuador
September 23, 2020
The death of George Floyd in the US has once again demonstrated that racism plays a prominent role in the dominant system and that its violence and cruelty can reach unimaginable limits. The incident quickly led to a wave of…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights
Gender based impacts of resource extraction and climate change
September 22, 2020
In addition to its impacts on the climate, large-scale resource extraction disproportionately impacts women, perpetuates violence and puts at risk women who mobilize to protect the land and water from these projects. KAIROS works with partners in Canada and the…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Climate-induced displacement
September 21, 2020
Global climate justice week begins with climate displacement. It is anticipated that by 2050, there will be 143 million people displaced by climate change. An estimated 37% of the global population lives in coastal communities, which are at significant risk…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Demanding climate action in the Speech from the Throne
September 20, 2020
On September 23, the federal government will deliver the Speech from the Throne. This is an essential moment for the federal government to announce its plans to scale up climate action and build resilience for Canadian communities and economies. This week, KAIROS joins hundreds of organizations and individuals sending messages to Prime…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Intro to Global Climate Justice Week
September 20, 2020
This week, Climate Action Month looks at climate justice issues on a global scale. The impacts of climate change are not borne equally or fairly. “Climate change is happening now and to all of us. No country or community is…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
The Arctic – the Inuit
September 19, 2020
Today we look to the north to share the experiences of the Inuit, who are facing climate change most acutely. At the end of July, the last intact ice shelf in Canada collapsed. Located on the northwestern coast of Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, the Milne Ice Shelf…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Indigenous youth
September 18, 2020
There are some incredible Indigenous youth rising up and using their voices to address the climate crisis. In 2018, Autumn Peltier, member of Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation on Manitoulin Island, stood before the UN General Assembly and told the world to “warrior up” and take a stand for the planet. Ta’Kaiya Blaney,…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Sovereign Seeds, food security & COVID 19
September 17, 2020
Across the world, Indigenous communities are steadily moving towards food sovereignty, in harmony with the reclamation and healing of seed rematriation. Today, we learn about this movement through the work of Sovereign Seeds, an Indigenous-led network dedicated to supporting Indigenous seed sovereignty and ancestral food relationships. …
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Environmental racism
September 16, 2020
Environmental racism is the term for policies, practices, institutions, decisions, and laws that discriminate against communities where the majority of residents are Black, Indigenous, and people of colour by harming the air, land, water, biodiversity — or people’s ability to…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Indigenous women on the frontlines
September 15, 2020
Today Climate Action Month recognizes the crucial role that Indigenous women land and water defenders play for the environment and all who depend on it. Women land defenders speak up to defend the air, land and water and do so to protect their rights, the wellbeing of…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
UN Declaration and climate justice
September 14, 2020
Yesterday (September 13) marked the anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) in 2007. The UN Declaration protects collective rights that may not be addressed in other…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Introduction to Indigenous rights week
September 13, 2020
This week, Climate Action Month explores a critical pillar of climate justice: Indigenous rights. Honouring Indigenous rights means upholding Indigenous peoples’ title and sovereignty and the rights to self-determination and free, prior, and informed consent. We’ll explore how these rights…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
How do we get to net-zero?
September 12, 2020
In December 2019, the federal government made a commitment to develop a plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Net zero is achieved when we can significantly reduce our carbon emissions and any remaining emissions are completely offset by actions…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Resource extraction and renewable energy
September 11, 2020
We often use the terms “clean energy” and “renewable energy” interchangeably, but renewable energy isn’t always clean. In the race to scale up renewable energy technology, the demand of minerals like lithium, cobalt, copper, and nickel is also on the…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
The Climate Witness Project
September 10, 2020
Have you ever asked, “What could I or my congregation possibly do about climate change?” If so, you’re not alone. The Climate Witness Project is a grassroots network of faith communities who take action on climate change with public policy…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
A Green and Just Recovery
September 9, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted every aspect of our lives. The pandemic has laid bare the interconnectedness of the global economic and ecological crises. Uncontrolled resource extraction, deforestation, infrastructure development and the exploitation of wild species have created perfect…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
LNG is not a transition fuel
September 8, 2020
In the shift away from coal-fired power and other dirty fossil fuels, gas has been promoted as the affordable transition fuel that can help bridge the gap to widespread clean energy. While gas may have fewer emissions than coal, the…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Canada’s Climate Fair Share
September 7, 2020
The Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change acknowledge the importance of equity in implementing a global response to the climate crisis. This recognizes that while addressing climate change is a shared responsibility of all countries,…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Intro to Just Transition Week
September 6, 2020
This week, Climate Action Month turns to the theme of Just Transition where we will explore what needs to happen to get the Canadian economy to net zero emissions by 2050. A net zero economy is achieved when we can…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Take a Sacred Pause
September 5, 2020
Yesterday we introduced For the Love of Creation. This work calls us to consider and act on what we, as people of faith, can do – individually, in small groups and as large faith communities – for the love of creation. We have developed a resource based on this…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Call for stronger climate action (sign e-petition)
September 5, 2020
As people of faith, called to love and care for all creation, we feel that it is important to speak into the current moment, shaped by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate emergency. That is why For the Love of…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
Faith communities and climate action
September 4, 2020
The Season of Creation is a time to recognize ecumenical collaboration on care for our common home, so today we feature the work of For the Love of Creation, which is bringing together Canadian faith communities and faith-based organizations to do just that. This…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice
For Our Common Home
September 3, 2020
KAIROS member Development and Peace launched the For Our Common Home campaign in 2019 in response to Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Sí. The campaign’s first theme, A Future for the Amazon, urges Canadians to act to protect the Amazon through solidarity, advocacy, and personal commitment. Showing…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice