DRC in Flames, Big Oil in Fortune

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems and one of the largest carbon sinks left on Earth, second only in size to the Amazon rainforest and encompassing more than half of the Congo Basin rainforest.  The peatlands of Cuvette Centrale in DRC and the Republic of Congo, estimated to be the largest continuous tropical peat complex in the world at 145,000 km2 and a storehouse of approximately 30 gigatons of carbon, equivalent to two years of global greenhouse gas emissions, have recently been opened to potential extraction by the government’s decision to put 52 new oil blocks up for bid. This lifeline for the planet is under attack again with news of reopening of this area for potential oil bids. Already, resource extraction beyond fossil fuels is driving conflict, displacement, and ecosystem destruction to the people of DRC while benefiting multinational corporations and complicit politicians. Instead of delivering peace and prosperity to its people, The DRC government plans to advance oil and gas exploration in the country’s most fragile ecosystems, with destructive fossil fuel companies standing to benefit. These activities threaten not only the future of the DRC but the entire planet’s climate stability.

At the center of this extractive rush is the Cuvette Centrale and Albertine Graben basin located along the Uganda-DRC-Lake Edward-South Sudan border estimated to contain 2.5 billion barrels of oil. In Uganda, TotalEnergies and its partner CNOOC are already developing two major fields (Tilenga and Kingfisher) that are slated to connect to the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The pipeline will carry heated, waxy crude through vulnerable ecosystems to an export terminal in Tanzania, accelerating environmental destruction and undermining global efforts to curb emissions. Developing landlocked oil blocks on the DRC side of the basin would likely depend on linking up to this mega-export project.

Burning the oil, gas, and coal in the world’s existing fossil fuel extraction projects alone would push global warming far beyond the 1.50C threshold that is critical for the survival of people and ecosystems. The stakes are particularly high for Africa. The continent has contributed just 2% of historical global emissions, yet it is the region most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis. Rising temperatures are already devastating crops, intensifying climate change-related disasters such as floods, droughts, and desertification while displacing communities. The DRC’s eastern provinces: North Kivu, Ituri, and South Kivu are ground zero for this crisis. Prevalent armed conflict and poverty are now intensified by the global drive for resource extraction, increasing displacement and forcing more than seven million people to flee their homes.

Children and women are among the hardest hit. UN data reveals a 30% increase in grave violations against children in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the end of 2023. Meanwhile, 23.4 million Congolese face food insecurity more than in any other country on Earth. Despite these harrowing figures, fossil fuel extraction has never brought real development to African nations. According to  Oil Change International’s The Sky’s Limit Africa report, oil exploration in the region has entrenched corruption, widened inequality, and stripped communities of sovereignty over their land and resources by poor contract terms, industry-friendly subsidy and royalty frameworks, debt traps, corruption, and the outsized ownership of fossil resources by multinational corporations. Multinational corporations walk away with huge profits while the people are left with poisoned rivers, lost forests, and empty promises.

Now is the time for a different path. Any new oil and gas project in the DRC, and across Africa will not only worsen the climate crisis but also risk becoming a stranded asset in a rapidly changing energy landscape. Fossil fuels are a dead end. Investments should be redirected toward decentralized, community-driven renewable energy, which creates up to five times more jobs per dollar than fossil fuels and supports local economies.

The international community must take a stand. In solidarity with Congolese communities and environmental defenders, we demand:

1. An immediate moratorium on new fossil fuel development in the Congo Basin;
2. Binding protections for Indigenous and local communities;
3. Climate finance for just energy transitions and adaptation;
4. Accountability for corporate actors profiting from conflict and ecological destruction.

The DRC must not become another sacrifice zone. It is a pillar of global ecological stability and a homeland for millions who deserve peace, dignity, and a livable future. The world must choose: will we continue to allow short-term profit to outweigh planetary survival, or will we finally act with courage and justice?