🌍 Save Our Forests, Save Our Lives: No to Oil Projects in the DRC

Background

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, often called the “second lung of the planet” after the Amazon. These forests are vital for the global climate: they absorb millions of tons of carbon, regulate rainfall across Africa, and shelter countless species found nowhere else on Earth.

But today, the Congolese government is opening the door to oil exploration and drilling in protected areas, including national parks and UNESCO World Heritage sites. These projects threaten to:

Destroy fragile ecosystems and biodiversity.

Pollute rivers and lakes that millions depend on for drinking water and fishing.

Displace Indigenous peoples and local communities from their ancestral lands.

Increase greenhouse gas emissions, worsening the global climate crisis.

For decades, the Congolese people have suffered from wars, corruption, and exploitation of resources like cobalt, gold, and coltan. Oil extraction will only deepen this cycle of destruction and poverty, while benefiting foreign corporations and political elites.

Instead of fossil fuels, the DRC should invest in renewable energy, reforestation, and green jobs for its young population. The people of Congo deserve a future of peace, dignity, and climate justice — not pollution and displacement.