KAIROS Climate Action Month

To galvanize awareness and action on the climate emergency, KAIROS is promoting September as Climate Action Month in the lead-up to the federal election. KAIROS is posting an event, blog post, environmental challenge — or combination of all three — to an online calendar every day in September. Events and resources will be regional, national, and international in scope, and will also highlight the work of its members and networks.

This KAIROS initiative is intended to further reconciliation by encouraging discussion and reflection on how climate change and Indigenous issues are deeply interwoven. KAIROS’ climate action is rooted in reconciliation and this initiative is intended to amplify and prioritize Indigenous voices.  

“Now more than ever, we must unite in our efforts to bring climate justice to the forefront of everyone’s thoughts,” says Chrystal Désilets, KAIROS’ Indigenous rights program coordinator. “Grassroots actions, like the Mother Earth Water Walk by water carriers from Quebec, help us to remember the ways we are all connected.”

The fossil fuel economy has dramatically altered Canada’s landscape and degraded the environment. Climate change is manifesting in every part of the country through flooding, permafrost loss, larger wildfires, and warming temperatures. It is also having disproportionate impacts, such as the forced displacements of Indigenous communities. 

The KAIROS Climate Action Month calendar will showcase communities across the country and internationally that are taking concrete steps to halt the climate emergency.

“We hope this KAIROS initiative will serve as inspiration for communities to come together. Through collaboration we can create positive change,” says Amelia Berot-Burns, ecological justice coordinator for KAIROS Canada.

Week one focuses on water. Week two will focus on Indigenous rights. The weeks that follow will spotlight community action and the federal election. Posts offer calls to action, helpful resources, giveaways, book and online resources, news services, and hopeful messages via videos, interviews, blogs, and spiritual reflections. It also highlights the work of congregations, communities, and national and international partners. 

Visit this link to learn more.

Chrystal Désilets is KAIROS Canada’s Indigenous rights program coordinator. Amelia Berot-Burns is ecological justice coordinator for KAIROS Canada.