This cartoon was commissioned by Alternatives, the Canadian environmental journal, and since Groundhog Day is nearly upon us, I thought I'd share it with you.

It illustrates a short item for the next edition about how Canada may be ready to join up with the U.S. in a carbon-trading program, after having taken a do-nothing (read: rape and pillage) approach.

But as is my wont, I ranged further afield. I've just finished Andrew Nikiforuk's Tar Sands, an eye-opening and stomach-churning read about how bad it actually is. Huge tailing ponds risk contamination that would make the Exxon Valdez spill look like a nice rainbow on a puddle. Huge quantities of natural gas power this largest industrial operation in history - gas that will run out before the enterprise is over, meaning that nukes are being considered. Our water, air, forests, wildlife and very democracy is at stake. All this is detailed in this excellent book, an excerpt of which is here.

The tar sands it being exploited with apocalyptic speed to supply the American market. Here's hoping that Obama sees the folly and makes good on his promise to shift to cleaner energy sources. Even regular oil is far better than this.