System Change Week 2022

On Earth Day, 22nd April 2022, we’re kicking off our System Change Week of bite sized webinars about climate justice and how it connects with race, housing, food, and the economy. This is a great opportunity to gain a better understanding of these topics and learn about groups in Ireland and around the world who you can support to tackle injustice. The talks will take place online at lunchtimes (1pm start) and evenings (6pm start - except on Tuesday 26th when our evening talk will start at 5pm) over the week of 22nd-29th April 2022.

Click here to register for this week of talks

And read on below for an outline of the events we've got lined up during this special week!

Friday 22nd April

At 6pm we’ll be joined by Yvonne O’Callaghan from SIPTU to speak about climate justice and local climate action. Friends of the Earth and SIPTU are founding members of the Just Transition Alliance working to ensure that no worker or community is left behind in the zero carbon transition.

Monday 25th April

At 1pm and 6pm we’ll be looking a racial justice from a local and international perspective. At 1pm we’ll be joined by Myriam Douo, a climate and racial justice activist based in Brussels. She's a campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe and Climate Advisor for Equinox, initiative for racial justice. Then at 6pm we’ll be joined by Memet Uludag from United Against Racism who argues that “for decades refugees of wars have faced racism and racist border policies by of some of the wealthiest states. These states are also guilty of changing our climate. This self-destructive system of wars-refugees-racism-climate change-refugees-racism must end”.

Tuesday 26th April

At 1pm we’ll be joined by Fiona Dunkin, Policy Manager with Clúid Housing, a social housing provider. Prior to this, Fiona worked in policy and communications in other housing/non-for-profit organisations, including Co-operative Housing Ireland and ALONE. Fiona will be speaking about Housing Justice - the social housing perspective. At 5pm we’ll be joined by Environmental activist Kwami Dodzi Kpondzo of Togo. Kwami speaks about climate justice with the link to social, gender and economic justice.

Wednesday 27th April

At 1pm we’ll hear from Annelies Schorpion, Friends of the Earth Europe’s Programme Coordinator for Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity and Resource Justice. Annelies worked for many years for the peasant movement La Via Campesina, which was her political School. She believes in social movements as engines of system change. She is interested in how actions can be a mirror of the world we want to build. Annelies will tell us about food systems in relationship to climate justice.

Thursday 28th April

At 6pm we’ll learn about economic justice with Paul Goldrick Kelly from the Nevin Economic Research Institute. Paul's work has examined issues related to healthcare, housing, tax and revenue sufficiency as well as productivity performance in the Republic of Ireland. Paul's current research interests relate to ecological sustainability and political economy, incorporating issues related to Just Transition. Paul is currently engaged in a collaborative doctoral research project with NUI Maynooth concerning carbon lock-in and its manifestation and propagation through institutions.

Friday 29th April

At 6pm we’ll look at accommodation and racial justice with Gabi Velasco. Gabi is a policy analyst in the Research to Action Lab at the Urban Institute. They conducted research at the University of Texas on environmental racism, zoning, and children’s health in East Austin. Gabi has a BA in sustainability studies, a BA in urban political ecology, and a minor in women’s and gender studies from the University of Texas where they conducted research culminating in an honors thesis on environmental racism, zoning, and children’s health in East Austin.

Don't forget to register here to join or many of these talks!

You will then receive daily email reminders from 22nd - 29th April - outlining what talks are on each day - along with your Zoom link to join the talks.