Applications Invited for Supporting Coverage of Non-Economic Loss and Damage on the Bay of Bengal Coast

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About the Organization

Created in 2004, EJN is now a truly global network of reporters and media outlets in virtually every region of the world.

Environmental and climate change reporting is now more urgent than ever, but journalists face myriad and mounting challenges in covering these topics. The media industry is in crisis, and misinformation is on the rise. Reporters working for cash-strapped news agencies often don't have the resources to research a story properly; freelancers, even less so. That’s where EJN comes in.

About the Grant

The Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is offering support to selected communicators to produce in-depth reports on climate impacts in the Bay of Bengal that hard to quantify and not usually accounted for by policymakers. We also welcome pitches on the resilience of coastal communities facing these impacts.

In recent years, debates about the loss and damage incurred by countries that did little to cause climate change—and the responsibility of historically high emitters to now help these regions adapt—have grown more urgent. Loss and damage due to climate change is now recognized by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and at COP27, the Loss and Damage Fund was set up to help low-income countries recover from climate change-related disasters.

The Bay of Bengal, considered one of the most climate-vulnerable regions globally, experiences significant loss and damage from rising sea levels, intensifying cyclones, flooding and extreme heat.

But here, like in other regions, only “economic” losses, or losses that can be assigned monetary values are recognized—by policymakers, and the media. Coverage in the aftermath of natural disasters or extreme climate events draws attention to the destruction of property such as buildings or cars, the loss of livelihood assets such as crops or livestock and damage to roads or power infrastructure.

But what of non-economic loss and damage (NELD)? This refers to forms of loss and damage that cannot be measured in economic terms, from impacts on mental health and physical health, on opportunities for education and development, on cultures, languages, heritages and identities, community and social cohesion. NELD also includes the loss of species and habitats, and disruption to, or loss of, ecosystem services.

For most communities, both “economic” and “non-economic” loss and damage are experienced concurrently, yet governments and climate financiers do not typically consider averting, minimizing or addressing the harder-to-quantify forms of loss.

As part of our new project, EJN is offering support to selected communicators reporting from coastal Bangladesh and the Indian states on the Bay of Bengal coast—West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu—to produce in-depth reports and improve public awareness on the many forms of NELD experienced in the region.

Selected applicants will be provided support of up to INR 90,000 or BDT 1.25 lakh each and 1:1 editorial mentorship to produce rigorous and impactful reports.

Themes

We welcome proposals that seek to robustly examine specific aspects of NELD and/or resilience of communities facing these challenges. We especially encourage proposals that focus on women, marginalized communities and youth. We seek to support reports that will drive conversation and make an impact among communities and policymakers at the local, national and regional levels. Issues that have already received a lot of media coverage or don't provide unique angles to environmental or climate challenges are less likely to be selected.

Eligibility

• Communicators reporting from coastal Bangladesh and coastal areas of four Indian states of  West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are eligible to apply.
• Groups of communicators are eligible. However, the application must be made in the name of one lead applicant. Lead applicants are responsible for communicating with EJN and receiving funds on the group’s behalf, if awarded.
• Applications can be submitted in English, Bangla, Odiya, Telugu or Tamil. Applications to produce text, video and audio reports are all welcome but the budget ceiling will remain the same.
• We welcome applications from early-career and experienced communicators with a track record of environmental issues. Women, Indigenous communicators and communicators from marginalized communities are especially encouraged to apply. We encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff from international, national, local or community-based print or online outlets.
• EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they have been found to have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct, including, but not limited to, plagiarism and/or submitting AI-generated content as their own.

How to Apply

Click the ‘Apply now’ button at the top of the page.

If you have an existing account, you’ll need to log in. Since we recently updated our website, you might have to reset your password by clicking the “Forgot password?” link in the log in page. If you don’t have an account, you must register by clicking “Log in” on the top right of the page and click the “Sign up” link at the bottom of the page that opens. Click here for detailed instructions on how to create an account, and here for detailed instructions on how to reset your password.

If you start the application and want to come back and complete it later, you can click 'Save Draft.' To return to the draft, you'll need to go back to the opportunity and click 'Apply now' again to finalize the application.

Applications should provide a detailed budget in an Excel spreadsheet with justification for the amount requested. Download the budget template now by clicking on this link.

Application Deadline: March 24, 2025, 11:59 PM

For more information please check the Link

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Tags Livelihood Research Journalism/ Reporting Others