Dr David Brake, Community Engagement Officer
As a scientist, for decades I have been increasingly worried we need to change how the economy works to reduce the severity of the climate emergency that we are living through. I moved from the UK to Newfoundland in 2015 and here I found a way to make a positive difference. Coming out of an oil boom, much of the province still believed itself permanently dependent on that industry for economic survival. But I met Delia Warren as she was starting Iron & Earth East, and was inspired by her passion and the practical alternative vision the organization provides. I became part of her team which showed there were other, better opportunities for oil and gas tradespeople - jobs that would be good for workers and for the planet.
I have re-joined at a critical time. The instability in the energy sector, the unstoppable momentum behind green energy alternatives and increasingly severe climate impacts are at least making our message impossible to ignore. I look forward to working together with partners across the country to learn what kind of a Just Transition fossil fuel workers and the communities they live in are looking for, and to help them get it.
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Iron & Earth was founded and operates on Indigenous land within Treaty Six Territory and Métis Region 4 in amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (in Nehiyawewin/Cree), so-called Edmonton. The home of many Indigenous Peoples including the Nehiyawak/Cree, Tsuut’ina, Niitsitapi/Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Haudenosaunee/Iroquois, Dene Suliné, Anishinaabe/Ojibway/Saulteaux, and the Inuk/Inuit.
We pay our respects to all Indigenous Peoples of this land. Through their spiritual and practical relationships with the land, a rich heritage for our learning and our life as a community has been created and maintained. We recognize that the transition to a low-carbon future must be led by Indigenous Peoples and that there will be no justice unless we acknowledge and repair our relationship with the land.
We are committed to responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action and upholding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and acknowledge that we are always learning and unlearning practices that minimize harm and lead to the development of trust between us and Indigenous Peoples across Nations and urban centers.
