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       Canadian social activist Naomi Klein gestures during a press conference at the Vatican press hall on July 1, 2015.

       VINCENZO PINTO/AFP

       The University of British Columbia says climate activists and journalists Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis are joining its faculty in the department of geography.

       A statement from the university says Ms. Klein has been named the inaugural Faculty of Arts Chair in Climate Justice and starts her new role in September.

       The statement says Ms. Klein, the author of eight books focused on issues of climate justice and globalized capitalism, will also have a leading role in creating the university’s new Centre for Climate Justice.

       It says the centre will bring together activists, policy makers, elders, scholars and communities to work toward environmental justice.

       Mr. Lewis, a documentary filmmaker, joins the faculty of geography next month and will teach courses examining social and political change, communication and documentary filmmaking.

       The university declared a climate emergency in December, 2019, and both Ms. Klein and Mr. Lewis say the declaration highlights the urgency needed to fight the crisis and the demand for solutions for a more sustainable and just society.

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