Eco-Spirituality in Action: Faith, Water, and Climate Justice in the Age of AI

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing our communities, but its growing infrastructure also raises important questions about climate justice, water, energy, and the care of creation. This workshop will explore the environmental and social impacts of AI development and consider how communities can respond.

The event will take place on Saturday, September 19th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Christ Church Parish Centre, 990 Sydenham Rd., Kingston.

To attend the event, please fill out the RSVP form below.

If you attend, please bring an item for our plant-based potluck lunch. Free-will offering.

Register to secure your spot at the event

Meet your presenter

Maryo Wahba is the Climate Justice Policy Analyst and J.D Candidate at the University of Ottawa with Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ), a Canadian organization working to advance public justice through policy research, advocacy, and public engagement. 

What will we discuss?

Maryo will lead the conversation and explore how the rapid growth of AI is affecting communities, the environment, and our shared responsibility for creation. The discussion will explore: 

• Who controls the water used by AI? Large AI data centers require significant amounts of fresh water for cooling. We’ll consider what this means for water as a common good and who gets to make the decisions about its use. 

• Is AI demand being used to justify continued Fossil fuel use? We’ll look at how growing demand for AI infrastructure is becoming part of the justification for operating coal-fired power plants beyond their scheduled retirement, including the case of the Bell data center near Regina 

• Who gets a say when large AI projects are developed? We’ll explore questions of the environmental assessment, public consultation, and community participation surrounding large-scale infrastructure projects 

• What does a faith-rooted response look like in practice? We’ll consider how congregations and community members can take part in decision-making processes such as utility rate hearings, provincial energy plans, and municipal approvals.

Are you interested in hosting your own CPJ event?

CPJ members are an engaged and connected community of public justice advocates. If you have an idea for an event that you’d like to host in your own community, we encourage you to reach out to us by emailing ac.jpcobfsctd-2eec54@jpc.

We can support you with:

• Thematic planning
• Logistics and coordination
• Event promotion
• And more!