Apply Now: COP29 Cross-Border Energy Transition Reporting Fellowship

Clean energy employment exceeded fossil fuel employment for the first time in 2021. Job openings requiring green skills are growing almost twice as fast as the number of workers with the skills required to fill them, according to a 2023 LinkedIn report analysing data in 48 countries. This shows that there is more to the story than the frequent reporting on jobs lost due to the phasing out of fossil fuels.

With pledges to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, how are governments trying to close the skilled labour gap? What training already exists for green skills and how much of this training is available for people working in fossil fuels? How are countries and companies attracting green workers and how does this affect migration patterns? How does the need for skilled labour interact with the pace of the transition and trends like rising protectionism and nationalism in some countries? Are there efforts underway to ensure that clean energy job growth and skill development advance gender balance and equity in the workforce when only 15 percent of current energy jobs are held by women?

COP29 will be a pivotal moment for journalists to research and report on the global transition to a climate neutral economy. Representatives from governments, business, science, finance, civil society, and media will attend the two-week event – making it an advantageous venue for journalists to gather information, conduct interviews with key stakeholders, and develop stories related to the energy transition.

About Fellowship

• Journalists selected to participate in the COP29 Cross-Border Energy Transition Reporting Fellowship will have an opportunity to focus their attention on energy transition issues and the green workforce, while collaborating, reporting, and learning with other journalists in a multi-national cohort.
• The cohort will participate in virtual meetings and trainings in the six weeks prior to COP29 and then travel to Baku to report from November 14-24.  Additional reporting will be completed in each fellows’ home countries after the COP.  While in Baku, the fellowship organisers will facilitate collaboration and connection across the newsroom and create opportunities for source development, high level interviews, information-gathering, and networking with other journalists and COP delegates.  Stories will be published in each journalists’ outlet, with possible republication by Clean Energy Wire.

Benefits

• Selected fellows get:
  • A chance to attend COP29 with travel and accommodation covered for 10 days (from 14 until 24 November) and to report on an important agenda-setting topic.
  • Travel costs will be covered and each fellow will receive a stipend. This is a global opportunity.
  • Logistical support ahead of and during COP29.
  • Guidance from CLEW staff and collaboration with colleagues before, during and after COP.
  • Opportunities to attend networking mixers with other journalists covering COP.
  • A chance to get their work published in their own media, as well as Clean Energy Wire (if their own media agrees to it and the quality of work meets CLEW standards).
  • A stipend of €1,000 to cover expenses while reporting at COP and in their home countries.

Eligibility Criteria

• Journalists worldwide with a minimum of three years of professional experience in journalism and with a track record of reporting on climate and energy issues. Both freelancers and staff reporters are eligible. Journalists working in all formats may apply as long as there is a willingness to collaborate with others in the cohort who may be working in other formats.
• Applicants should hold a current passport with validity through May 15, 2025.
• Communication about and within the fellowship will be in English, so they expect journalists to be comfortable in this language. Publications resulting from the fellowship can be in any language.
• In order to apply journalists need to provide:
  • Three recent work examples published in independent media on climate or economic topics, ideally with some connection to the topic of clean energy, energy transition, workers in the energy industry, or related issues.
  • A letter of intent from an editor from an established media outlet committing to publication of stories resulting from this fellowship, specifically on the topic of energy transition and green workers. Freelancers also need to include a letter from an outlet that has agreed to publish their reporting.

For more information, visit Clean Energy Wire.