CLIMATE Home News is inviting journalists worldwide to pitch story ideas examining the extraction, processing and governance of critical minerals essential for the global shift to clean energy.
The independent climate publication, in its call for application, is seeking news and investigative pieces on how supply chains for key raw materials, such as lithium, nickel, copper and rare earths, can be made more sustainable and accountable.
“The race to secure minerals and metals used to manufacture clean energy technologies has ushered in a new era for mining and natural resource diplomacy,” the outlet said in a statement.
“However, the world is at risk of trading one crisis for another without robust regulations and practices to ensure that mineral extraction and processing don’t come at the expense of environmental protection and respect for human rights.”
The organisation are particularly interested in stories that track global governance efforts, spotlight technological advances to reduce environmental impact, and examine policies designed to address social conflict in mineral supply chains.
The proposal could also explore developments in the global governance of mineral supply chains, the impact of global trade deals and restrictions on those supply chains and their winners and losers, and the financial mechanisms supporting developing countries’ green industrialisation and clean-energy manufacturing.
It encouraged journalists with at least three years’ experience and a strong background in climate, energy, mining or business reporting to apply.
Climate Home News said it is offering a standard rate of $0.46 per word for news stories of up to 800 words, with higher fees negotiated for investigative work.
It added that pitches should outline the central idea in no more than 250 words, list potential sources, and include a brief summary of the reporter’s experience with links to three recent stories.
Pitches can be submitted on a rolling basis to project editor Chloé Farand at chloe.farand[at]outlook.com, with “Pitch” in the email subject line.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M