The Democratic Republic of Congo, home to one of the largest old-growth rainforests on earth, is auctioning off vast amounts of land in a push to become \u201cthe new destination for oil investments,\u201d part of a global shift as the world retreats on fighting climate change in a scramble for fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
The oil and gas blocks, which will be auctioned in late July, extend into Virunga National Park, the world\u2019s most important gorilla sanctuary, as well as tropical peatlands<\/a> that store vast amounts of carbon<\/a>, keeping it out of the atmosphere and from contributing to global warming.<\/p>\n \u201cIf oil exploitation takes place in these areas, we must expect a global climate catastrophe, and we will all just have to watch helplessly,\u201d said Irene Wabiwa, who oversees the Congo Basin forest campaign for Greenpeace in Kinshasa.<\/p>\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n A term I learned reporting this story: climate colonialism. — Dionne Searcey (@dionnesearcey) July 25, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n
Western countries that built their prosperity on fossil fuels that emit planet-warming fumes demanding Africa forgo reserves of oil\/gas\/coal to protect everyone else. w\/@ruthmaclean<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/7spghRsO85<\/a><\/p>\n