For thousands of years, our ancestors have celebrated winter solstice, a time when the Earth, rotating on its axis and revolving around the sun, tilts ever so slightly towards the sun, signalling longer daylight in the months ahead. Countless solstice tales involve the birth of a sun god by a virginal queen of heaven, a figure who symbolized the end of the dormant season and the return of Earth's life-giving seasons.

In this period of darkness, nothing short of a little people power is going to tilt the Earth in favour of the light. Our wish is a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically so that the climate's peaceful balance is restored. Nothing is more urgent than rebalancing the Earth's climate.

What if peace on Earth means Canada doesn't ramp up tar sands development in Alberta unless the carbon dioxide produced can be safely sequestered underground? What if peace on Earth means the U.S. doesn't have enough oil to fuel its military expansion? What if peace on Earth means greener economies that obey the principles of sustainable development -- the way that Gro Harlem Brundtland imagined?