Environmental
DRC oil exploration threatens world's largest tropical peatlands
Oil and gas exploration planned in the Democratic Republic of the Congo risks the world’s largest tropical peatlands, a critical carbon store and biodiversity hotspot.
Democratic Republic of the Congo hosts the world's largest tropical peatlands, which store vast amounts of carbon and regulate regional and global climate systems. New oil and gas exploration plans pose a severe threat to these ecosystems, with environmental activists warning that drilling, infrastructure, and related activities could lead to permanent degradation of peat soils and massive greenhouse gas emissions. The potential impact includes loss of biodiversity, disruption of local hydrology, and increased climate risks for the region and beyond.
- Status
- active
- Location
- Cuvette Centrale peatlands, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Date added
- 2026-03-25 10:17 UTC
- Last updated
- 2026-03-25 10:17 UTC
- Connected threats
-
- Not Available