Today we celebrate 150 years of Canadian Confederation. Little Blue Marble is proud to be Canadian, but is also a citizen of the world. After a brief interlude where it seemed Canada was drifting into anti-science and anti-environmental policies, for the benefit of corporate gain, Canada has once again become a beacon of progressive values in the world. However, that doesn't mean there still isn't much to do. Given our economy's reliance on the extraction of dirty tar sands oil, and the trend towards increased extraction of natural gas via hydraulic fracturing, there is a long way to go in order to improve our record and meet our carbon reduction targets under the Paris agreement. We also must take a good, hard look at our treatment of First Nations peoples, and respect their treaty rights when evaluating new energy infrastructure projects.

As we reflect on the upcoming 150 years, we see many challenges ahead, but also plenty of hope. With good science, evidence-based government policy, grassroots community groups making their voices heard, and more corporate leaders embracing sustainable development, we believe it is still possible to weather the climate crisis with our little blue marble, if not intact, at least still a vibrant jewel of the universe.

In honour of Canada's 150th, we're making July Canadian fiction month here at Little Blue Marble. We'll have stories by Canadian authors Holly Schofield, M. Darusha Wehm, and Robert Dawson.

Happy Canada Day!

Image Credit: red Leaf by Clare Black, Creative Commons BY 2.0. Image has been rotated.