Internews announced today that Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, the Indian climate change scientist who chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, will co-host the Earth Journalism Awards ceremony in Copenhagen in December.

Dr. Pachauri is recognised as one of the world's greatest authorities on climate change. He is the director-general of The Energy and Resources Institute and has served as chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 2002.

"If we are to have any hope of reversing the effects of climate change, then we have a monumental task of educating the six billion people on our planet about how climate change works and what they can do to help. The media is critical in this effort, since just one reporter has the ability to reach thousands, even millions of people. These awards help to expand and honour these vitally important efforts," Pachauri said.

So far, more than 600 applicants from 131 countries have registered online for the competition; 100 have already submitted their applications, which are due Sept. 7, an indication of the global interest the competition is generating.

Internews, the global media assistance organisation, opened the Earth Journalism Awards competition in June. Anyone, whether a professional journalist or citizen activist, may enter the competition.

Winners will be given the opportunity to cover the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, and receive support from Internews to report from COP15 for their home media. Winners will also attend the Earth Journalism Awards ceremony co-hosted by Dr. Pachauri.

Internews established the Earth Journalism Awards this year to encourage and celebrate the best coverage of climate change and the Copenhagen agenda.

There are fifteen award categories:

• Seven Regional Awards on current affairs and news reporting on climate change: Eurasia, South Asia, East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East & North Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean, and North America, Europe & Australia.
• Six Thematic Awards: The Negotiations Award, The Human Voices Award, The Energy Award, The Forests Award, The Climate Change and Nature Award, The Climate Change Adaptation Award.
• The MTV Positive Change Award: For young participants between the ages of 18 and 28.
• The Global Public Award: Chosen by the public through online voting for the best story drawn from the winning regional and thematic awards through a social networking campaign on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

With the exception of the Global Public Award, all of the winners will be selected by an independent jury of experts. A carbon-neutral plan designed to offset greenhouse gas emissions caused by award-related activities will be implemented.

Partners and sponsors of the Earth Journalism Awards include the COP15 host country, the Government of Denmark; MTV International; The World Bank; the Italian Ministry of Environment and the Protection of Territory and Sea; the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation; the Edgerton Family Foundation; Flip Video Spotlight; the Global Forum for Media Development; and the tck tck tck campaign, an initiative of the Global Campaign for Climate Action.

Internews is an international media development organisation established in 1982. Its mission is to empower local media worldwide to provide people with the news and information that they need, the ability to connect, and the means to make their voices heard.

For more information, please visit: Internews Network at http://www.internews.org and Internews Europe at http://www.internews.fr