| Category: Health & Beauty: Environmental Health |
Despite growing pleas from climate change activists, the Democratic Republic of Congo says it is moving forward with its plans to auction off a vast majority of oil and gas drilling blocks located in the country's rainforest and peatland.
In a statement, the Ministry of Hydrocarbon said 27 oil and 3 gas blocks would be auctioned, an increase from the 16 blocks the country initially committed to in May.
The blocks include areas that reach into Virunga National Park, a sanctuary for endangered mountain gorillas in eastern Congo.
Didier Budimbu, the country's Hydrocarbons minister said Tuesday the oil exploitation would benefit the Congolese population.
"The president, Felix Tshisekedi, has a vision and he wants to get his population out of poverty," Budimbu said during a press conference.
A petition signed by more than 100,000 people, is calling on President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo to end the development of new oil and gas fields in the country, according to a news release from Greenpeace USA.
"Only six months after signing a $500 million forest protection deal at the COP26, the Congolese government is declaring war against our planet with oil and gas. The immediate price will be paid by Congolese communities, who are not aware of the auction, have not been consulted or informed of the risks to their health and livelihoods. Many of them will rise up against it -- and we shall stand with them," said Irene Wabiwa Betoko, International Project Leader for the Congo Basin forest, Greenpeace Africa.
Budimbu pushed back on auction critics stating that non-governmental organizations cannot dictate how a sovereign country is led.
"The option we took is to give to those from the poorest backgrounds to try and improve their lives through their economy so 100,000 signatures is fine but there are Congolese who need to eat," Budimbu said.
The DRC has more than 27 million people, including over 3 million children, who do not have enough food to feed themselves -- a third of the country's population -- and more than 5 million people who are internally displaced, according to Norwegian Refugee Council.
Virunga National Park sits on the forest-covered volcanoes of central Africa and is home to over half the global population of mountain gorillas.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, it is Africa's oldest national park and largest tropical rainforest reserve, covering 7,800 sq km (3,000 sq miles) with a varied landscape of active volcanoes, savannahs, mountains, lakes and forests.
The auction is set to take place on the 28th and 29th of July.
~ Via CNN |
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