Page 8 - AfrOil Week 23 2022

AfrOil COMMENTARY AfrOil

However, the region has also caught the atten- is to consider the exploitation of the oil resources
tion of CAFI and other environment and cli- of the DRC but also the protection of nature.”
mate-focused groups due to its potential as a
vast carbon sink. It is known for its biodiversity Competing objectives
and contains peatlands that cover an area of Bloomberg also quoted Simon Lewis, a pro-
145,0000 square km. These peatlands are capa- fessor of global change science at University
ble of storing around 30bn tonnes of carbon College London, as saying that he was deeply
dioxide, which is equivalent to about 82% of sceptical about Kinshasa’s ability to achieve both
annual global emissions. goals at the same time.
CAFI, which was formed in 2015 by six Tropical rainforests “have to maintain their
Congo river basin countries, South Korea, the wetness to keep all the carbon locked in,” he
EU and a coalition of European states to sup- explained to the news agency. “If there are
port deforestation initiatives, pledged last year drilling platforms you will potentially disturb
during the COP26 summit in Glasgow to pro- the peatlands, potentially dry it out and release
vide funding for the protection of this delicate some of the carbon. They are some of the most
ecosystem. It agreed to disburse $500mn for this carbon-dense systems on Earth. This is the place
purpose to the DRC over a period of five years, you would go first to protect carbon.”
provided that the necessary requirements were Greenpeace International has already
met. (Those requirements include granting pro- decried the DRC government’s plans for mov-
tected status to 30% of the country’s land area ing forward with the auctions. In April, Irene
and restoring 80,000 square km of degraded Wabiwa Betoko, international project leader
forests and lands.) for the Congo Basin forest of the NGO’s African
division, described Kinshasa’s decision to offer
Overlapping priorities the blocks to investors as calamitous.
The question now is whether Kinshasa can meet “The auctioning of new oil blocks anywhere
CAFI’s milestones while also moving ahead is wrong and undermines communities’ right
with the licensing round, since the forest pres- to a healthy environment,” she was quoted as
ervation project covers some of the same acreage saying in a Greenpeace statement. “The plan for
included in the auctions. When asked for com- big oil companies to trash Congo’s most sensi-
ment by Bloomberg, CAFI said in an email that tive ecosystems is a historic error that must be
it had signed a letter of intent (LoI) outlining its scrapped immediately.”
plans to study the matter. She also urged the international community
“This letter of intent commitment will begin to focus on supporting the DRC government.
with a comprehensive analysis of the extent to “Donor countries, which pledged $500mn to
which mining, oil and gas titles overlap with, or protect Congo’s rainforest during the COP26 in
impact on protected areas, high value forests and Glasgow, are realising the extent of [the] chaos
peatlands,” the group stated. “Donors are work- that prevails in the management of these for-
ing closely with the DRC government to ensure ests. They must now address the shady and dirty
that the commitments outlined in the letter of plans for replacing rainforests and peatlands
intent are met.” with oil,” she commented. “Donor countries can
CAFI did not say exactly what this study support the Congolese government to become
would entail, but Bloomberg said it had viewed a country of solutions rather than a producer
a DRC government video released in May about of new pollution by ramping up investments in
the auctions that emphasised the government’s renewable energy and expanding plans for com-
plan to uphold environmental norms while munity-led forest management.”
also promoting hydrocarbon exploration and Clearly, Kinshasa has decided against taking
development. Greenpeace’s advice. That is, rather than scrap-
“The geology, geography and environment ping the auctions and focusing only on the CAFI
experts from the Ministry of Hydrocarbons plan, it is trying to do both at the same time.
have worked meticulously on the selection of the However, Lewis’ warnings indicate that it may
oil blocks, taking into the account the environ- have a hard time juggling both of these goals –
mental sensitivities,” the news agency cited the or, at the very least, convincing CAFI of its ability
video as saying. “The desire of the head of state to make a good-faith effort in that direction. ™

CAFI has pledged to provide $500mn in funding for forestation programmes (Photo: CAFI)

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 23 08•June•2022