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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 27 ,2 02 0 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar hdunbar@starmetrolandmedia.com Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow, Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Sheri-Lyn Blair, Chris Rego Managing Editor Doug Coxson Online Editor Adam Jackson Reporters Bill Jackson Namish Modi CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 475 Thompson Dr. Cambridge, ON N1T 2K8 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-623-9155 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at waterloochronicle.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA Climate change. Cli- mate crisis. Climate emer- gency. Climate despair. Every informed person today knows humans are rapidly overheating the precious planet that is their only home. We're melting its ice caps, rais- ing its ocean levels and contributing to ever more and ever more devastating storms, floods, droughts and wildfires. No wonder there's deep- ening fear humanity will not act quickly or decisive- ly enough to avert disaster. But if the situation fac- ing our species is serious, it's far from hopeless. There are plenty of good things happening that are worth celebrating. Earlier this year, the Ca- nadian government in- formed the United Nations that this country is on track to meet a crucial goal for power generation. By 2030, Canada will produce 90 per cent of its non-in- dustrial energy from emis- sions-free sources, includ- ing hydro, nuclear and re- newables. Canadians still have a long way to go. Current policies are expected to drop the nation's carbon emissions to 673 mega- tonnes by 2030. The goal is 511 mega- tonnes. But clearly, closing coal-fired generating plants, as Ontario did, de- veloping renewable ener- gy sources like wind and solar power, improving hy- dro connections between provinces and bringing in those controversial car- bon taxes are having the intended impact. And despite the envi- ronmentally-benighted policies of President Don- ald Trump, the United States actually witnessed the largest decline in ener- gy-related carbon dioxide emissions on a country ba- sis last year, a fall of 140 megatonnes or 2.9 per cent from 2018. Indeed, such emissions have fallen by roughly 20 per cent in America from their levels in 2000, according to the IEA. There was also positive news from the European Union, including the Unit- ed Kingdom, and Japan. All experienced signifi- cant declines in their ener- gy-related emissions. More activist govern- ments are not the only rea- son Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat who helped negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, feels upbeat about tackling climate change. The co-author of a new book on this subject, "The Future We Choose," Fi- gueres attributes her "stubborn optimism" to the millions of people around the world crying out for action and funda- mental change. Govern- ments and, as well, corpo- rations are listening and responding. None of these advances should make anyone com- placent. We're measuring progress in metres but have kilometres to travel. Major questions need an- swering in Canada, such as how high will carbon taxes rise and how many oil pipelines will be built. But despair can be the guide to surrender. Win- ning a few battles inspires hope a war can be won and the desire to win it. WINNING A FEW BATTLES CAN INSPIRE HOPE IN CLIMATE CHANGE WAR It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hones- ty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust initia- tive to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project. Why are we covering this story? It's a question I'm sure many of you have asked. De- fining what is newsworthy starts with an examination of the people impacted by the is- sue. Generally, if it's of public interest, it's newsworthy. Issues of wide-reaching impact get the highest priori- ty in most newsrooms - coun- cil decisions, policy changes, trends in crime and social is- sues. Neighbourhood specif- ic concerns have lower prior- ity unless there's an indica- tion the outcome could affect the broader community. In some cases, we'll tell readers why we report certain sto- ries. Analysis of how our sto- ries are received online has helped narrow our focus and deliver news we know mat- ters to you. That doesn't mean we won't cover the small things. If it's interesting and quirky enough, heartwarming, heartrending, or the source of engaging conversation on social media, it's likely a story worth telling. In choosing the stories we cover, we're not motivated by personal agen- das or a desire to make mon- ey. We're motivated by a de- sire to tell the stories we be- lieve you're interested in reading. Instinct also plays a role in what we write about - the gut feeling that this is something readers should be interested in, not only because it's a compelling story but because it's a positive or negative re- flection of the community they call home. Finally we ask ourselves, why should I care? It's a ques- tion any journalist ponders before they de cide to pursue a story. Why, for example, should I care about the land use dis- pute affecting the Wet'su- wet'en people of northern B.C.? On the surface, it's a story for us because protests are disrupting the lives and in- comes of thousands of people in the communities we cover. Going deeper we begin to see how it's about something greater than the core dispute - an expression of the cumu- lative discord around Indige- nous rights, reconciliation, and damage to the environ- ment. It's news because of what's happening on the ground, in our communities, but also because important issues are being brought to light and the anger welling up on both sides is legitimate. That's why we continue to cover anything over time - because the story evolves and by reporting on that evolu- tion we can provide greater understanding to our read- ers. Doug Coxson is regional managing editor for the Fairway Group. HOW DO WE DECIDE WHAT STORIES TO COVER? AN EXAMINATION OF THE PEOPLE IMPACTED BY AN ISSUE IS KEY, WRITES DOUG COXSON DOUG COXSON Column