Here’s a 3,200-word article on the explosive growth that is occurring in the Canadian energy industry, a wide-ranging and well-researched article that falls far short in addressing the implications of that expansion.
For example, the words “climate change” or “global warming” are entirely absent. The only references to such a topic are these:
“Amid the turmoil there is a deepening anxiety about the cumulative impact that a century’s worth of high-intensity fossil fuel combustion – the consumption of oil, natural gas and coal for energy – is having on the Earth’s climate.”
and, in reference to UBC Professor William Rees:
“He supports climate scientists who assert that fossil fuel combustion is adversely affecting the Earth’s climate ….”
Once again, this studied refusal to actually account for the influence of greenhouse gas emissions in the world is no evidence of impartiality. It is, rather, an abdication of journalistic responsibility.
Presumptuous “journals of record” like the Vancouver Sun have a responsibility to inform the public on major policy areas. That responsibility is not fulfilled by standing clear of the facts, just so you don’t rile the trenchant, agenda-driven and ill-informed community of climate change deniers.
