Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Climate Crisis and the Congo Basin

Climate Crisis and the Congo Basin
By Kwaku Aurelien

Made up of eighteen percent of the world’s tropical forests, 10,000 plant species and 400 mammal species, the Congo Basin in Central Africa provides household food security to over 75 million people across 150 ethnic groups, courtesy of its 10,000 plant species and 400 mammal species, and is the second largest contiguous tropical rainforest. Something we all know very well, however, is the urgency of the climate crisis. We, members of Friends of the Congo, will point you who are interested in doing something to combat the climate crisis in the direction of the Congo Basin. Our objective is not to convince any environmental justice organization to include the Congo Basin in their organizing strategies, but to simply have them look into the Congo Basin, because once they look into it, they will see its importance and work it into their organizing strategies themselves.

In 2017, Congolese and British scientists discovered a peatland in the central Congo Basin covering an area of over 145,000 square kilometers (>56,000 square miles) – an area the size of England. A peatland consists primarily of peat – soil composed of the buildup of partially decomposed organic matter over thousands of years. Why is this important? Carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon dioxide is captured and stored (United States Geological Survey). Peat sequesters carbon more efficiently than any other vegetation type in the world combined (International Union for Conservation of Nature), with peatlands storing twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests and damaged peatlands accounting for five percent of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. It is estimated that the peat located in the Congo Basin in what is known as the Cuvette Centrale (Central Basin) stores over 30 billion metric tons of carbon. To put into perspective how significant this is, 30 billion metric tons of carbon is equivalent to the amount the United States emits from burning fossil fuels over a twenty-year span, and to the amount the entire world emits over three years. Perhaps more amazingly, peatlands in the Congo Basin hold as much carbon as all of its trees put together, despite only covering four percent of the entire rainforest. It is for this reason that climate scientists stress the protection of the Congo Basin. It is the only rainforest on the planet that sequesters more carbon than it releases. Africans outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or Republic of Congo are all too aware of its importance. During the Season of Creation 2021, the Ecclesial Network for the Congo River Basin (REBAC) – a Catholic coalition consisting of the DRC, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon – called the Congo Basin “the second lung of the Earth” (Union of Catholic Asian News 2021). However, external and internal forces threaten to transform an image as positive as a lung of the Earth to something as menacingly sounding as a “carbon bomb.”

Damian Carrington and Matthew Taylor of The Guardian defined a carbon bomb as “a project capable of pumping at least 1 billion tons of CO2 emissions over [its] lifetime.” Usually, these are fossil fuel projects. In the case of the Congo Basin, the peat is continually disrupted by international timber firms who clearcut trees illegally. In fact, as of 2011, at least 87% of the logging in the Congo was illegal, per Chatham House. Only eight percent of the central Congo peat carbon is located in nationally protected areas. Ninety-two percent is vulnerable to future land exploitation, per CongoPeat.

The Global North has very deceptively attempted to fearmonger over the fact that the Congo has aspirations of increasing its oil production from 25,000 barrels per day to 1 million. They claim that doing so would destroy the Congo Basin rainforests. While it is true that oil expansion poses a serious threat, it cannot be ignored that the biggest threat to this point has been the supply chain demands of foreign companies, who buy Congolese wood at a cheap price to fashion it into finished goods and sell it back to the Congo at an exorbitant price.

There are multiple bad faith actors at play here. The Rwandan government under Paul Kagame (Al Jazeera 2022) and the Ugandan government under Yoweri Museveni (Africa Intelligence 2022) are guilty of instrumentalizing a proxy rebel militia known as the March 23 Movement, or M23, to destabilize Eastern Congo and exploiting its timber and mineral wealth. The Congo Basin rainforests are at stake here, notably Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (TRT World 2023). As a consequence of M23’s activities, hundreds of thousands of Congolese have been displaced from their ancestral lands. Illegal logging has become rampant, and it is estimated that by 2030, thirty percent of the rainforest will have disappeared. If this pace continues, it could mean the destruction of all primary forests by 2100 (National Geographic 2021).

A December 2021 article by The Washington Post stated that the Democratic Republic of the Congo “faces pressure to preserve its peatlands and the vast stores of carbon they hold, or develop them for profit, releasing an enormous carbon bomb into the atmosphere.” Friends of the Congo cannot stress enough that the issue of the Congo Basin is not solely a Congolese issue. It is not a Central African or an African issue. It is an issue of humanity. It is an issue of the world and all who inhabit it. As such, it cannot be solved without international cooperation – true, sincere international cooperation. No longer can false promises be tolerated, such as that which was made at COP26 by the United States, European Commission on behalf of the European Union, United Kingdom, and Bezos Earth Fund, among others, to imburse $1.5 billion between 2021 and 2025 to protect the Congo Basin. No longer can neocolonialism be tolerated. Paul Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Army received training from U.S. Green Berets in the late 1990s. In turn, Kagame’s military trained rebels in the DRC, then known as Zaire, in 1998 (The Washington Post 1998). Kagame today is recognized in the West as someone whom African nations should look up to as a model of modernization, his crimes against his fellow Africans ignored. When attempts are made to hold him and other neocolonial agents accountable, the United States runs diplomatic interference to protect them. Case in point; when the United Nations learned that elements of the Rwandan military committed war crimes constituting crimes against humanity in June of 1998, the United States, in spite of the UN report and other indications of human rights abuse, collaborated with Rwandan military units in a Joint Combined Exchange Training in July (The Washington Post 1998). Per The Washington Post article “Africans Use Training in Unexpected Ways,” “U.S. officials defend[ed] the collaboration by arguing that it is wiser to engage with Rwanda to help it develop a human rights culture than to step aside and risk a new descent of the country into chaos.” Almost twenty-five years later, it is apparent that human rights is the U.S. and the West’s buzzword for imperialism, which Kwame Nkrumah told us neocolonialism is the last stage of imperialism.

The Global North must make restitution to the Global South for colonialism; otherwise, how easily can the Congo Basin, Amazon Rainforest, and Indonesian rainforests among others see a restoration of their biodiversity? Moreover, how else will forest communities get their just due? It was moving reading chief Joseph Bonkile Engobo, a.k.a. Papa Joseph, say that if his forest community of Lokolama was not paid for their role in protecting the peatlands, they would “destroy them so everyone will die” (The New York Times 2022).  No longer can extractivism be tolerated as it is currently tolerated in the artisanal mining of cobalt and coltan in the Congo by private industry. It can no longer be tolerated as it is currently tolerated in the harvesting of palm oil by private industry at the expense of the local population, who have been exposed to toxic waste generated by Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC). Global North hegemony must be dismantled to preserve lives, livelihoods, and the planet. As we’ve demonstrated, in our unequal current world order, things such as a green transition and vegan food products which seem positive on the surface are made into points of extraction. There isn’t a state in the USA that can become fully electric sans the Congo. 

The most important people, whose voices must be heard and taken seriously, are the indigenous people living on the land in the Congo Basin. Members of the Congolese intelligentsia increasingly have wisened up to the fact that radio is the most effective means of organizing Congo Basin residents, who already mobilize against the destruction and seizing of their ancestral lands but who lack ready means of coordinating organized resistance or learning new developments sans access to electricity, Internet, and telecommunications. The Center for International Forestry Research[1] [2] [3]  (CIFOR) and its subsidiary Climate Change and Forests in the Congo Basin (COBAM) created a radio program called “Following Changing Seasons.” It is set in a debate format and is broadcast monthly by Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV), Cameroon’s national radio station. COBAM itself encompasses Cameroon, DRC, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Its objective is to provide local communities with the information necessary to implement projects that will guarantee reduction of carbon emissions in forest areas. Perhaps the most vital point of this radio project and others like it is that they provide a platform for frontline community members and forest defenders that they otherwise would not have. A Cameroonian radio journalist said the following about the CIFORCOBAM radio program:

            “Since we started rebroadcasting the COBAM radio programme, people – particularly 
              farmers – have been coming to our studio for more information on how to deal with
             unpredictable seasons and have better harvests.”

The people of the Congo Basin rainforests are fighting everyday for their lives and livelihoods. Their coalescing into an organized movement will ensure victory and bring about a lasting change.   

For the perspectives of the Indigenous people who are asking what they will get in return for protecting one of the world’s most important ecosystems, visit www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/21/headway/peatlands-congo-climate-change.html: “What Do The Protectors of Congo’s Peatlands Get In Return?

For more on the Congo Basin, visit www.congopeat.net. This website is a godsend, using models to simulate future development of peatland ecosystems in the Congo Basin.

Listen to Maurice Carney, co-founder and Executive Director of Friends of the Congo, on this issue on A Rude Awakening, at 94.1 KPFA or at Apple Podcasts.

Works Cited

 “A Rude Awakening with Maurice Carney, Samuel Yagase and Sophia Murphy.” n.d. KPFA. Accessed January 13, 2023. https://kpfa.org/episode/a-rude-awakening-october-14-2022/.

 ADF. 2021. “Protecting Earth’s ‘Second Lung.’” Africa Defense Forum. October 15, 2021. https://adf-magazine.com/2021/10/protecting-earths-second-lung/.

 “Africa Intelligence: Exclusive News on Africa.” n.d. Africa Intelligence. Accessed January 13, 2023. https://www.africaintelligence.com/central-africa/2022/12/14/report-by-un-experts-reveals-kampala-s-role-in-m23-s-advances.

 Akinwande, Babatope. “Could Radio Help Mitigate Climate Change in the Congo Basin? - Our World.” n.d. Ourworld.unu.edu. Accessed January 18, 2023. https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/could-radio-help-mitigate-climate-change-in-the-congo-basin.

 Bociaga, Robert. “How the M23 Advance Threatens DR Congo’s Endangered Gorilla Population.” n.d. How the M23 Advance Threatens DR Congo’s Endangered Gorilla Population. Accessed January 20, 2023. https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/how-the-m23-advance-threatens-dr-congo-s-endangered-gorilla-population-64154.

 Brown, H.C. Peach. 2011. “Gender, Climate Change and REDD+ in the Congo Basin Forests of Central Africa.” International Forestry Review 13 (2): 163–76. https://doi.org/10.1505/146554811797406651.

 Cannon, John. “The ‘Idea’: Uncovering the Peatlands of the Congo Basin.” 2021. Mongabay Environmental News. December 2, 2021. https://news.mongabay.com/2021/12/the-idea-uncovering-the-peatlands-of-the-congo-basin/.

 Carrington, Damian, and Matthew Taylor. 2022. “Revealed: The ‘Carbon Bombs’ Set to Trigger Catastrophic Climate Breakdown.” The Guardian. May 11, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2022/may/11/fossil-fuel-carbon-bombs-climate-breakdown-oil-gas.

 Center for Global Development. 2015. “Developed Countries Are Responsible for 79 Percent of Historical Carbon Emissions.” Center for Global Development. August 18, 2015. https://www.cgdev.org/media/who-caused-climate-change-historically.

 “‘Changing Seasons’: Using the Radio to Communicate and Exchange Knowledge about the Fight against Climate Change in the Congo Basin Forests.” n.d. Climate Change and Forests in the Congo Basin (COBAM). Accessed January 18, 2023. https://www2.cifor.org/cobam/multimedia/radio/.

 “Climate Change and Forests in the Congo Basin (COBAM) - Synergies between Adaptation and Mitigation.” n.d. Climate Change and Forests in the Congo Basin (COBAM). Accessed January 18, 2023. https://www2.cifor.org/cobam/.

 Coalition, Global Forest, and Oliver Munnion. 2020. “15 Years of REDD+: Has It Been Worth the Money?” Global Forest Coalition. September 2, 2020. https://globalforestcoalition.org/15-years-of-redd/.

 “COBAM Project: Using the Radio as a Means of Effective Information Exchange in Combating Climate Change in the Congo Basin - CBFP.” n.d. Archive.pfbc-Cbfp.org. Accessed January 18, 2023. https://archive.pfbc-cbfp.org/news_en/items/COBAM_Project-EN.html.

 “Congo and the Climate Crisis: Frontline Voices from the Congo Basin.” n.d. Www.youtube.com. Accessed January 13, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XahAahu8zoc&ab_channel=FriendsoftheCongo.

 “DRC Orders Expulsion of Rwandan Envoy as M23 Rebels Seize Towns.” n.d. Www.aljazeera.com. Accessed January 18, 2023. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/30/dr-congo-expels-rwandan-ambassador-as-m23-rebels-gain-ground.

 “Exploring the Central Congo Basin Peatlands.” n.d. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44mtN3IJ46U&ab_channel=CongoPeat.

 Gouby, Mélanie. “World’s Second Biggest Rainforest Will Soon Reopen to Large-Scale Logging.” 2021. Environment. September 29, 2021. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/worlds-second-biggest-rainforest-will-soon-reopen-to-large-scale-logging.

 Hang, Christi. 2018. “Where REDD+ Money Goes – and Doesn’t Go.” CIFOR Forests News. June 5, 2018. https://forestsnews.cifor.org/56531/where-redd-money-goes-and-doesnt-go?fnl=en.

 Maclean, Ruth. 2022. “What Do the Protectors of Congo’s Peatlands Get in Return?” The New York Times, February 22, 2022, sec. Headway. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/21/headway/peatlands-congo-climate-change.html.

 Nzwili, Frederick. “Catholics in Africa Celebrate Congo Basin as Earth’s Second Lung.” n.d. Www.ncronline.org. Accessed January 18, 2023. https://www.ncronline.org/earthbeat/justice/catholics-africa-celebrate-congo-basin-earths-second-lung.

 “Peatlands and Climate Change.” 2021. IUCN. December 1, 2021. https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/peatlands-and-climate-change#:~:text=Peatlands%20are%20the%20largest%20natural.

 Piabuo, Serge Mandiefe, Peter A. Minang, Chupezi Julius Tieguhong, Divine Foundjem-Tita, and Frankline Nghobuoche. 2021. “Illegal Logging, Governance Effectiveness and Carbon Dioxide Emission in the Timber-Producing Countries of Congo Basin and Asia.” Environment, Development and Sustainability, February. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01257-8.

 Popovich, Nadja, and Brad Plumer. 2021. “Who Has the Most Historical Responsibility for Climate Change?” The New York Times, November 12, 2021, sec. Climate. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/11/12/climate/cop26-emissions-compensation.html.

 “REDD+ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.” n.d. Www.fao.org. https://www.fao.org/redd/en/.

 Silverstein, Ken. n.d. “Illegal Logging and the Global North Threaten Congo’s Rainforest — Not Oil Drilling.” Forbes. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2022/08/01/illegal-logging-and-the-global-north-threaten-congos-rainforest---not-oil-drilling/?sh=3bc0c2c63899.

 Tata Ngome, Precillia Ijang, Charlie Shackleton, Anne Degrande, and Julius Chupezi Tieguhong. 2017. “Addressing Constraints in Promoting Wild Edible Plants’ Utilization in Household Nutrition: Case of the Congo Basin Forest Area.” Agriculture & Food Security 6 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-017-0097-5.

“Why Is This Spot in the Congo Attracting so Much Attention? | Mongabay Explains.” n.d. Www.youtube.com. Accessed January 12, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-I_G1JlOyA&t=181s&ab_channel=Mongabay.

 Umuhoza, Victoire Ingabire. n.d. “To Save the Congo Basin Rainforest, End the Conflict in the DRC.” Www.aljazeera.com. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/11/12/to-save-the-congo-basin-rainforest-end-the-conflict-in-the-drc.

 Uwera, Ley. n.d. “The Race to Defuse Congo’s Carbon Bomb.” Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2021/congo-peatlands-carbon-emissions/.

           

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