Over the next few years, the Harper government will spend tens of millions of dollars celebrating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. They've even developed an iPhone app, which they claim will help young people increase their "awareness of Canada's origins and the sources of our freedom and democracy."

On behalf of Canada, Environment Minister Peter Kent recently spent several days in Durban at the UN climate talks treating the global community like, well, shit -- disrespecting her, ignoring her wishes and just generally displaying rude and selfish behaviour.

But Minister Kent did not have the guts to break up with the global community face to face in Durban. So he waited until he landed back home in Ottawa before officially announcing that Canada was dumping the Kyoto Protocol, making us the first country to ratify the agreement to abandon what is -- for all its flaws and shortcomings -- the only legally binding international climate treaty in existence.

Copenhagen. Cancun. Durban. Another year, another collective disappointment for people all over the world looking to the UN climate talks to produce the urgently needed international action addressing the emergency of climate change. (For updates as negotiations wrap-up tonight or this weekend, visit the Guardian live blog.)

To the 1 per cent (you know who you are),

I write to you, as a lowly ninety-nine percenter, to offer both my congratulations and my condolences.