Tag Archives: eco-justice

Youth for Eco-Justice: Raquel Helene Kleber

Name: Raquel Helene Kleber

Raquel Helene Kleber from Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB)

Age: 22

Function: International Affairs Student

Country of origin: Brazil

Church of origin: Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB)

What is really important for my life?

As an enthusiastic student of International Affairs, I enjoy to be constantly learning and interacting with people from diverse cultures. I am also passionate about Sustainable Development and Climate Change issues, which inspired me to write academic research around these themes. Within the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil, I am involved in the coordination of the project Criatitude – Youth for the Care of Creation. It is a youth educational national project that encourages Lutheran Christians to use creative attitudes in the promotion of eco-justice, which counted with the joint work of the Regional Council of Youth Rio dos Sinos and the Lutheran Foundation of Diaconia – FLD. The main goals of the project are to raise awareness of responsible consumption, encourage youth leadership towards the care of creation and involve young Christians in the ecumenical participation of the Conference of the People in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20.

My goal in life has always been to make a difference and promote positive impact in the society, and family and values are essential for my life and work.

What do I expect?

As for the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) I hope for a commitment to the next period of the Kyoto Protocol and to further emission reductions, for the Youth for Eco-Justice, I am learning about socio and environmental issues including those in the different countries. During these days I have also being able to share the Brazilian concerns and projects regarding such issues, which also

As a concerned Brazilian, I am also enjoying this program, since Brazil is home to the largest part of the rainforest, the Amazon, and home to enormous biodiversity and natural water reserve, but also facing several socio and environmental problems. Regarding the climate change negotiations, I believe Brazil can play a key role in the Climate Change negotiations, not only as a developing nation, but also in the leadership in GHG emission reductions.

Furthermore, Brazil hosts the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), Rio+20, in June 2012, Rio de Janeiro, for which I hope to help bridge the connections from COP17. Although Rio+20 main focus will be on green economy and poverty eradication, arises there an opportunity for the incidence of ecumenical bodies worldwide towards a more just and responsible development - relating to Eco-Justice itself.

I intend to set up a solid network for the young people, which will be able to keep connected and engage in a continuous learning.

What do I intend to do for my church/country to achieve environmentally Justice?

One of the things that I intend to bring home from the outcome of this program is a concrete sustainable project on Eco-Justice targeting the youth. Such a project will be a continuation of the work that my church has worked on this year and also connected with the ongoing project Criatitude.

The church has a crucial role to play in society, providing an ethical perspective on climate change and promoting the environmental and social justice. I do believe that sustainability and the care for Creation are at the centre of the word of God and I have faith that together we have the power to make our world a more just one.

Y4EJ youth participate in Global Day of action demonstration

By Raquel Helene Kleber

An estimated 20.000 people gathered at this year’s Global Day of Action in Durban, South Africa, during COP17. The demonstration held in Durban has for years became a tradition at the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change. This year’s event caught the attention of various global media.

Eco-Justice youths sending loud message to world climate polluters during the Global Day of Action in Durban, South Africa

The non-violent march involved international and national community, religious and environmental organizations, civil society, academia, youth, and counted with the active participation of the youth from the Eco-Justice training, jointly organized by the World Council of Churches Water Network and the Lutheran World Federation.

The youth spotted a banner saying ‘Polluters Pay’ which included names of the main polluters countries. As a participant, we joined the call urging international leaders to take concrete actions towards addressing climate change, in addition to an urgent legally binding and just agreement.

For many youth, the demonstration’s at the Global Day of Action was their first time, and they were very impressed by the non-violent approach of the march, which they termed as a celebration to achieve an Eco-Just economy and society. One of the participants even expressed that “it was not only a call to tell polluting countries to pay, but also to recognize ourselves as individual polluters”.

Climate change is one of the signs of the groaning of creation, which is suffering the consequences of human mistreat and is also a sign of injustice, when the most vulnerable and the minorities face the greatest consequences. In order to tackle this problem, a change in the economic system is demanding, but also a change in our actions from the position of dominators to stewards of God’s creation.

In the process of creating a more Eco-Just world, the youth has a significant role to play, since we are the ones who have hope and energy that can be used to change these situations, added to our abilities of networking and technology for change. We are the ones who will be affected by today’s decision, and yet “we have a unique opportunity to become a solution in this world”, said Isaiah Kipyegon.