Dickens opening to his historical novel A Tale of Two Cities describing the jumbled era of the French Revolution is not an inappropriate description of our own times. Although perhaps 2025 contained more of the worst than the best. It seemed at times as if humanity was in retreat.
As the year ends, war persists in Ukraine, Gazans continue to be slaughtered, and Sudanese butcher each other in a horrendous civil war, to mention some of the worst manifestations of man’s inhumanity to man. A year for which, as the bard put it, “Man was made to mourn.”
The one war that is fully justified—the war against climate change—is not gong well. Fossil fuel emissions soared to record levels in 2025 and show no signs of declining. According to an article in the journal BioScience “We are hurtling toward climate chaos. The window to prevent the worst outcomes is rapidly closing.” The authors conclude that, “We are entering a period where only bold, coordinated action can prevent catastrophic outcomes.” Not much of that bold, coordinated action was apparent in 2025.
The biggest reason for humanity’s retreat on climate action, and on so many other things, was the elevation of Donald Trump to U.S. president. His administration seems determined to take the U.S. back to the Gilded Age, apparently a favourite of Trump’s, an age that was golden for the ultra rich but miserable for most everybody else.
And this introduces one of the bright spots of 2025, at least for Canadians. Our election saw us not only dodging a bullet—a Trump-lite prime minister—but gaining the best PM we’ve had in a long time, a truly exceptional leader.
This helped greatly in dealing with the trials that Trump imposed on us, which included devastating our trade relations with the U.S., the culmination of many years of tough and fruitful negotiations, and threats to annex our country. We are fortunate indeed to have steady leadership as our neighbour disintegrates into some kind of MAGA dystopia.
Not that all is lost down south. A variety of pundits, including even Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, are suggesting that America may have passed peak Trump. The checks and balances of U.S. democracy are showing some resilience.
Trump simply overwhelmed everyone and every institution with his “flood the zone” approach. But resistance is gathering. Dozens of judges are ruling against his policies and programs; Harvard is suing him and that is rallying other universities; law firms are uniting in opposition; his tariffs have shaken consumer confidence; Republicans are worrying abut the Trump affect on the mid-term elections; his public approval has plummeted and even some MAGA loyalists are wavering.
No doubt he has much damage yet to inflict, but there is at least a glimmer of hope for a 2026 better than 2025. So on that note of optimism, small as it may be, I wish you all a Happy New Year!