President Higgins to address Society of African Missions climate change conference in Cork

13 Nov, 2019 | News

Today, 13 November, the Cork Conference on Intergenerational Climate Justice will be held in the City Hall. It provides an opportunity for city and county schools and interested adults to share ideas on climate justice between generations.

President Michael D. Higgins will give a keynote address on Climate Change at the conference and attend a Private Screening of the Award-Winning Climate Change Documentary The Great Green Wall.

The conference is organised by the Society of African Missions (SMA), Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles (OLA), Saint Anne’s Shandon Eco Congregation, and Blackpool Parish/North Cathedral Justice group.

Over 200 people will attend, half of whom are teenagers. Adults from the Wilton Justice group, Elders for Earth, and others from around Cork will also participate. The Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor John Sheehan, will address the conference.

The conference will be co-chaired by Saoi O’Connor and Denise Cahill. Speakers include Seán Healy SMA of Social Justice Ireland and Lorna Gold of Trócaire.

The Great Green Wall documentary film won the ‘Audience Award’ at the Sao Paulo Film Festival, Brazil. The film is part funded by Irish Aid. The SMA who, through their Laudato Tree Project, are championing the Great Green Wall in partnership with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Tree Council of Ireland, was granted permission to host a private screening of the film.

The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment has contributed €1.2 million towards a major inventory of the Great Green Wall which will, when completed, be the longest continuous living organism on the planet – three times longer than Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It will cross the continent of Africa from Senegal to the Republic of Djibouti, 8,000 kilometres, and is a major African Union project aimed at halting desertification in the Sahel region, due to Global Warming.

You may view The Great Green Wall trailer below:

ENDS

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