Waiting to exhale: Ecological justice for the Earth’s lungs
Event Summary
A discussion on climate change and the challenges faced by the people who call the Amazon, the Congo Basin and the Boreal forest home.
Event Details
The Amazon, the Congo Basin, and the Boreal Forest are often described as the planet’s lungs — these regions absorb enormous amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and breathe out oxygen. Their protection is crucial in mitigating climate change.
Canadian Jesuits International is pleased to invite Rigobert Minani SJ (Ecclesial Network of the Congo Basin Forest), Laura Vicuña Pereira Manso, CF (Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon Region), Ron Thiessen (Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society – Manitoba chapter) and Stephanie Thorassie (Seal River Watershed Alliance) to speak about the challenges that these regions and their people face.
*A link to the recording of the event will be sent to all those who register within 24 hours after the event concludes.
Our speakers
Rigobert Minani Bihuzo SJ is the regional coordinator of the Ecclesial Network of the Congo Basin Forest (REBAC) and the Social Apostolate coordinator for the Jesuit Central Africa Province (ACE, DR Congo and Angola).
Laura Vicuña Pereira Manso CF works in the Rondônia State in the Brazilian Amazon region and was invited by Pope Francis to attend the Synod for the Pan-Amazon Region in 2019. Laura is a descendant of the Indigenous Kariri people and accompanies Indigenous communities in resisting extractive industries efforts to confiscate Indigenous lands in the Amazon.
Ron Thiessen is the Executive Director of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) – Manitoba chapter. He played a significant role in supporting the Indigenous Nations on Pimachiowin Aki initiative, which resulted in large protected areas and eventually, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Boreal.
Stephanie Thorassie is the Executive Director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance (SRWA) and member of Sayisi Dene First Nation. The goal of the SRWA is to conserve the Seal River Watershed as an Indigenous Protected Area.
