Internews’ Earth Journalism Network has just launched two new opportunities for journalists to deepen their environment-related reporting experience.

The first is a Fellowship that will allow five selected journalists from Africa and India to attend and cover the 14th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), a key gathering in New Delhi, India, to review progress made to control and reverse further loss of productive land from desertification, land degradation and drought.

For this particular Fellowship, EJN is putting particular emphasis on selecting reporters from arid regions in Africa and India. Five Fellows will attend the UNCCD in early September, where they will engage with other participants and Fellowship program organizers in a series of specially designed activities that will include mentorship, an orientation workshop, breakfast briefings and interview sessions with high-level officials.

Applications are due by June 23 at 5pm IST. Find out more and apply online.

In addition, reporters from the Asia-Pacific region are eligible to apply for a new round of story grant funding that will support data-driven, investigative reporting on the health impacts of climate and environmental change.

EJN expects to award around 10 small grants at an average of US$2,000 each for stories that explain to local communities how climate change impacts human health and illustrate how vulnerable communities are adapting. Of particular interest are stories about how the health of wellbeing of women and other marginalized groups, such as youth and ethnic minorities, are impacted by climate change.

The grants are open to journalists working across all mediums and levels of experience in South, Southeast, East Asia, and the Pacific region.

Applications are due by June 30 at 5pm ICT. For more information and to apply online.

(Banner photo: Street children collect disposable water for car washing in El Fasher, North Darfur. Credit: Albert Gonzalez Farran, UNAMID via Flickr.)