THE BERTHA CHALLENGE

Why we’re Choosing to Focus on the Climate Crisis

The climate crisis and collapse of ecosystems is a global emergency that poses the most imminent existential threat to our planet and all who live on it. We have little time left to prevent a catastrophic climate breakdown and the resultant loss of species. Poorer nations, particularly in the Global South, are already experiencing the political and social fallout of a hotter ocean and rising land temperatures. The massive displacements of people following droughts and accompanying food insecurity are already happening in Southern and East Africa.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimates that 17.2 million people across 148 countries and areas were newly displaced due to disasters in 2018. 764 000 people, mainly in East Africa and Afghanistan, were displaced following drought alone.

According to the UN we must act before 2030 to keep the rise in global average temperatures below 1.5 degree celsius to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Many see this as a generous assessment, but if we fail to do this, much of the damage will be irreversible. 

To avoid the 2030 tipping point, we need radical action that exposes a global political and economic system that prioritizes profit over planet, and innovative ideas for what comes next.

The climate and ecological crises is about power and politics unchecked and industries acting with impunity. Corporate power and privilege is at the core of climate breakdown. Government and global bodies can compel the reduction of carbon emissions and promote renewable energy production, but they are failing to do so. The US based Climate Accountability Institute, the world’s leading authority on big oil’s role in the escalating climate emergency, recently revealed that 20 global firms account for a third of all carbon emissions, and just three global asset managers oversee $300 billion in fossil fuel investments.

“The tragedy of our times is that the gathering collapse of our life support systems has coincided with the age of public disservice. Just as we need to rise above self-interest and short-termism, governments around the world now represent the meanest and dirtiest of special interests. In the United Kingdom, the US, Brazil, Australia and many other nations, pollutocrats rule...

But in many nations, governments intervene not to protect humanity from the existential threat of fossil fuels, but to protect the fossil fuel industry from the existential threat of public protest.”

- George Monbiot

In acknowledging and responding to the analysis of holding power accountable, civil society action in the past year has provided glimmers of hope. A growing global movement is working to convey the extent of the crisis and advocate for government responses. From the Global South to North, from mega-cities to remote indigenous communities, from forests to factory floors: people everywhere are recognizing that action is needed. 

While the challenge is huge, many activists and investigative journalists are reflecting on an array of practical and strategic questions. They are identifying their particular angle on the subject and also grappling with how to amplify their work in order to reach a large audience.

How do we better work together in this context to address local problems while pooling our efforts to tackle global causes? How do we maximize the impact of our work?   

How do global movements pressure governments to explore and adopt alternative political and economic models for climate justice? How does activism go beyond marches and journalism go beyond exposés to support a just transition that is inclusive and equitable for less affluent countries in the Global South?  

How do we organize amongst and with those most affected by climate and ecological crises as the climate is becoming more and more unpredictable?

What are the most pertinent stories to investigate and amplify and how do we tell them in a way that catalyzes action while having maximum impact?

Calls for a Global Green New Deal have grown louder and more ambitious in their suggestions for overhauling existing multilateral institutions that govern the global economy and making reparations to less developed countries. Is this realistic? 

What creative alternatives exist that will compel current power structures towards real change?

What We Offer

At Bertha we know that many activists and investigative journalists are already doing groundbreaking work to investigate, amplify their work and connect with each other. The Bertha Challenge aims to support this work by providing time to work exclusively on a focused project, the spaces in which to connect with a diverse global cohort of Bertha Fellows and partners, and the resources to develop tangible products speaking directly to the Challenge question.

Our fellowships offer:

Income for each Bertha Fellow for one year, not exceeding USD $60,000 and commensurate with the applicant’s current or equivalent salary at the host organization - ideally a media outlet for an investigative journalist and an NGO, community organization or social movement for an activist.

Project funding of up to USD $10,000 for each Bertha Fellow to produce a culminating product that responds to the question posed by the Bertha Challenge. Directed toward a specified target audience, this could be a series of articles, videos, podcasts, games or drama productions, for example. Bertha Fellows working together will have the option to pool their project funding to produce on a larger scale.

A connect fund specifically designed to encourage collaboration between fellows.

Training through regular webinars, with topics on a range of issues from current debates around the climate crisis and ecological collapse to methods of investigation, methods of communicating findings through news media, storytelling, popular education and more.

Peer and mentor support in the form of regular virtual check-ins with Bertha staff and a cohort of Bertha Fellows. Like many fellowships, the Bertha Challenge aims to provide space for personal development. However, we also believe that work is most impactful when it is done in collaboration with peers conducting similar work on a sustained basis.

Network development through the global cohort of Bertha Fellows and exposure to relevant partners within and beyond the Bertha network, including our legal partners in the Bertha Justice Network, many of whom are at the forefront of creating legal strategies to address the climate crisis. Bertha can also support in strengthening local networks.

Global convenings of Bertha Fellows and selected guests at the start (July 2020) and end (June 2021) of the Bertha Challenge. 

All fellowship applications must include a local host organization willing to act as a financial and oversight host. This could be an organization within which potential applicants already work or another appropriate organization willing to host applicants for the year. Bertha Fellows and host organizations must share a commitment to Bertha Challenge objectives and conditions. 

The Bertha Challenge will provide space for leaders in their fields to develop professionally.  A further aim is to fuel productive debates and solidify networks that will last beyond the one-year project cycle.