Drumrolls…
It gives us great pleasure to announce the selection of QoC-CANSA Fellows whose proposals made the final cut. Hearty congratulations to:
Welcome on board, we are excited to work closely with you over the next few months on issues of Climate Change in your cities to generate stories and research work which can draw attention and influence policy.
QoC-CANSA had an overwhelming response to the Fellowship call with many excellent proposals from all the four countries in South Asia, making it challenging for our esteemed jury, comprising environmentalists and media persons, to arrive at the most fabulous and fitting four. We decided to expand the canvas to select six Fellows instead of four as mentioned in the call.
Thank you to all those who responded to the call. We hope to be able to work with many of you in different ways in the future.
The breadth and depth of ideas in the large volume of applications we received over the past six weeks convince us that there is thought and commitment on issues of Climate Change and cities – from flooding and heat waves to changes in sea levels, urban inequality, and amenities such as housing and health – from young and experienced people in ecology, media and academia.
On behalf of QoC and CANSA, we extend our warmest congratulations to the six Fellows once again.
Best wishes,
Smruti Koppikar Sanjay Vashist
Founder Editor, QoC Director, CANSA
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THE FELLOWSHIP CALL
Among the most challenging phenomena of our time is Climate Change which manifests itself in extreme weather events from flooding to heatwaves, droughts to changes in sea levels and more, leaving direct and indirect impact on millions of people in cities. It is a “code red for humanity,” said the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in 2021 while releasing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report which had a troubling forecast for South Asia, projecting hotter weather, longer monsoon seasons, and increased droughts. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka are threatened by increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events with millions in their cities suffering the worst impact.
Climate Change is manifested in our cities in several ways, month after month, as extreme weather events. The historical congestion in cities, sub-standard amenities especially for the vulnerable, and existing urban inequalities make the climate impact worse, especially for the large mass of vulnerable people in cities. For stakeholders such as governments, it is business as usual even as the climate crisis worsens. What is called for is a sustained focus on these issues with original and in-depth research, reporting and photography work which can influence policy changes and decisions.
To facilitate in-depth work on the subject, Question of Cities (QoC) and Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) invite journalists, researchers and scholars to apply for the QoC-CANSA Fellowship to research and report on the following themes:
1) Climate Change and city planning response
2) Housing in cities
3) Urban inequality and right to the city
Terms of the Fellowship
Who can apply, how to apply:
For any questions or clarifications, write to qoccansafellows@gmail.com
About us:
Question of Cities is India’s online journal at the intersection of urbanisation, ecology, and equity. Once every fortnight, it publishes essays and ground-reported stories on cities from ecological and social perspectives, and a consistent lens of sustainability in the context of Climate Change. From natural and built environments to community chronicles, gender, and Right to the City, the journal has published more than 100 essays and ground stories from nearly 20 cities so far written by scholars, experts, journalists and community writers. It is both a forum for dialogue on these subjects as well as a repository of in-depth work. We are at www.questionofcities.org and on social media as @questionofcities_ on Instagram and @CitiesQuestion on Twitter.
Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) is Asia’s largest coalition of NGOs addressing the climate crisis. With almost 300 member organisations from eight South Asian countries, CANSA promotes sustainable climate, energy and development policies in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Find us online at www.cansouthasia.net; Twitter: @CANSouthAsia; Facebook: Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA); and LinkedIn: CANSouthAsia