Climate and Environmental Security in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Competing over Abundant Resources - Adapting to Change
Publisher: Forschungsinstitut der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V.
Author(s): Kira Vinke, Loyle Campbell, Dana Schirwon, Katongo Seyuba, Florian Krampe, Hafsa Maalim, and Guelor I. Mbungwal
Date: 2023
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Causes, Extractive Resources, Renewable Resources
Countries: Congo (DRC)
Climate change is compounding the Democratic Republic of Congo's tangle of problems - a long-running civil war, weak governance, and deeply entrenched poverty and inequality. The country's future is of global significance: its vast Congo-basin rainforest is a crucial carbon sink and a haven of biodiversity. DRC's hydropower potential and its deposits of copper and cobalt could enable the energy transition, but a green resource looms over development prospects. Germany will need flexible and well-aligned national strategies to effectively support peace, human progress, and environmental protection in the DRC while putting the focus on the needs of marginalized populations.