Karri Munn-Venn joined CPJ as the socio-economic policy analyst in 2008. She moved to the climate justice portfolio in 2012 and served as senior policy analyst from 2015 until August 2022. Karri lives, plays, and farms at Fermes Leystone Farms on the unceded traditional territory of the Anishinabewaki and Omamiwinniwag (Algonquin) Peoples in rural west Québec.
Today is the World Day of Prayer for Creation. It coincides with the Orthodox commemoration of how God created the world and marks the beginning of the “Season of Creation” which continues through to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4. Please join us as together, with our brothers and sisters around the world, we offer our prayers for the well-being of creation.
“What do you think?”
It’s a phrase we often use with friends when checking an idea or seeking advice. And it’s the question our federal government is now asking us as it develops Canada’s climate action plan.
This Earth Day, and you can bet it will include all of the perennial park clean-ups, spring seedling swaps, and perhaps a renewed push for recycling at the local public school.
That’s all good, but this year Earth Day is different. It offers something more.
Earth Day is on April 22. This year, it will take on special significance as world leaders will be in New York to sign the historic Paris Agreement on climate change.
As we mark a Day of Prayer for Climate Action, we share our prayer for the Earth.
Last winter, my nine-year-old son accompanied me to a climate talk at our church. But rather than bored, Oscar was captivated and took to writing about climate change, flooding and drought, and the significant oil and gas reserves that must stay underground.
Then I began to worry. How much did he understand about what the world might look like when he’s my age? And did he (as I do) have faith that we could muster the ambition necessary to take action?
From the Catalyst, Summer 2015
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
By Naomi Klein
Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2014
Reviewed by Karri Munn-Venn
Author and activist Naomi Klein has done it again. This Changes Everything, is at once thick with academic research and deeply grounded in human narrative. It is a profoundly personal account of coming to understand that climate change is the issue of our time.
From The Catalyst, Summer 2015
There was a time not too long ago that climate change was a bit of a fringe issue. No more. It has moved into the mainstream. The terrain has shifted. Climate justice is no longer simply the purview of environmentalism and social justice.
From April 11-14, climate change took centre stage in Québec City. I was pleased to be there representing CPJ at the #ActOnClimate march, the #ActOnClimate forum, and the Green Church conference that coincided with the premiers’ meeting on climate change. 25,000 March for Climate Action The #ActOnClimate march of environmental groups, organized labour, students, community…
Originally published in Embassy News. There has been a lot of noise lately about how best to transport oil. Five trains carrying crude oil and other petroleum products have derailed in Canada and the United States in the last month. At least three of the spills led to serious fires that burned for days. At the…
Several years ago, I participated in a poverty simulation that involved one day (8 hours, really) without food. It was miserable. My head ached, my brain was foggy, I was emotional, overwhelmed, and felt useless. I also learned a lot – a whole lot. Since then, I’ve valued the food that I eat more than…
