… with CLC Playing a Key Role (Original in Spanish)

Within the context of deploying new energy solutions for industry and transport, the KAHIRÓS project (https://kahiros.com.uy/) is expected to be implemented in 2026, supplying hydrogen for land transport in the forestry industry.

María José González, a member of CLC in Uruguay, is leading this initiative, which initially aims to decarbonize logistics in the timber sector through the use of green hydrogen, with the potential to expand to other sectors.

Known as “Coqué,” María José served as president of the CLC Council in Uruguay from 2021 to 2023. She is an engineer with extensive experience in the energy and industrial sectors and previously worked in the Environmental Unit of the Ministry of Industry. She also participated in COP28 in Dubai, where countries collectively committed to “transitioning away from fossil fuels.” Today, she directs the KAHIRÓS project which is developing a green hydrogen plant in Fray Bentos with production capacity designed to meet the needs of multiple sectors.

Her expertise and leadership are fully dedicated to projects in sensitive areas related to the care of our Common Home. Her professional commitment is closely aligned with the Church’s concern about responding to the ongoing deterioration of the planet, which may be approaching a critical tipping point.

This concern extends beyond a purely environmental perspective, recognizing that care for the Earth and care for one another are deeply interconnected. Climate change represents one of the greatest challenges of our time, and awareness of its disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable is central to our spirituality.

Through her professional work, María José González exemplifies how committed Christians can contribute meaningfully to society—whether through engagement in public policy or by supporting private-sector initiatives. We value this approach, which moves beyond a purely technocratic paradigm focused solely on the exploitation of natural resources.

We highlight María José’s leadership as a powerful testimony to the importance of integral ecology as a cross-cutting dimension of Christian commitment. Her work encourages us to reflect, to act, and to address the structural causes of ecological challenges within our own spheres of responsibility.

Photo: Joaquín Ormando