.....There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gasses can be drastically reduced
Climate activists are deepening calls
for a halt to plans for oil and gas exploration in Democratic Republic of Congo
and seeking the Pope’s support in this, as he embarks on a visit to the
country.
The activists have been opposing
oil exploration activities in the Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest
national park, as well as the recent plans by the government to auction oil and
gas blocks some of which fall in sensitive areas in the DRC.
They cite the grave risks posed by
oil exploration activities to the environment, endangered species of wildlife,
and the livelihoods of local communities.
Pope Francis, who is on a 4-day
visit to the country, is an advocate for environmental justice who has been
consistent in calling for urgent climate action, the abandonment of fossil
fuels and a transition to renewable energy.
Bonaventure Bondo, Climate activist in Kinshasa, DRC said, “We are concerned by our government’s continued push
for expansion of fossil fuel exploration in our country, which will come at
great cost to our environment, wildlife, our communities and the climate.
Our
protected areas are under threat - from the oil exploration activities in
Virunga National Park, to the oil and gas blocks that the government is
auctioning off in the Congo basin.
This
comes at a time when all the signs point to the urgent need to shift away from
fossil fuels to renewable energy, to contain global heating and avert
catastrophic climate impacts.
We
appeal to Pope Francis, to engage our government on this very crucial matter,
to call for the stop to these fossil fuel projects and the prioritization of
renewable energy.”
Ashley Kitisya, Fossil
Fuel Free Campaigner Laudato Si Movement said “Pope Francis in Laudato Si shares, ‘There is an urgent need to develop
policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and
other highly polluting gasses can be drastically reduced, for example,
substituting for fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy.’
The
exploration of oil and gas in DRC sets us on the path of more climate
catastrophes that will disproportionately affect the poor.
We
therefore come together to call for the end of unjust actions to profit a
handful of people. Instead, we call for a transition away from fossil fuels and
the use of clean, renewable energy that primarily addresses the needs of local
communities and economies.”
In July 2022, during its 40th Council of Ministers meeting,
the Democratic Republic of Congo government approved a plan to auction off 27
oil and 3 gas blocks in the country.
Nine of
the blocks fall in the sensitive ecosystem of Cuvette Centrale, in the Congo
river basin, the second-largest forested area in the world after the
Amazon.
Climate
activists have opposed this as they threaten communities, sensitive ecosystems
and the environment while contradicting the country’s laws and international
conventions to protect and respect sensitive and unique ecosystems.
.jpg)
){kind=link}
0 Comments