Congo and Climate Change - An Overview
By Rebekah Delling

Above the cacophony of, elephants, gorillas and the other 6,000 animal species living in peaceful pandemonium, a louder and more destructive sound is dominating the rainforest. It’s the sound of ax against wood coupling with the crack of falling timber. In the Congo River basin, an area once designated the “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, a battle is being fought over natural resources and nature is the losing party.

However, nature won’t be the only loser in the war for resources. Besides the obvious damage un-checked logging does to the 60 million people, 10,000 plants species and 6,000 animal species depending upon the forest for survival, there exists the global threat of climate change.
Clear-cutting the Congo River basin rainforest, the second largest continuous rainforest after the Amazon, will have a direct and disastrous effect on global warming. This effect, according to the United Nations Climate Panel, will include more flooding, heat waves, droughts and continually rising oceans.

And while climate change has received much attention in recent months, the deforestation of the Congo rainforest plays a role that has been largely ignored by the mainstream media. However, saving the rainforest from deforestation is as important, if not more so, as regulating emissions from power plants or other CO2 reducing efforts.

The Congo River basin rainforest plays a vital role in the North Atlantic’s weather patterns, while its trees assist in the filtration of CO2 and the releasing of much needed oxygen back into the atmosphere. In destroying the rainforest, we are in effect destroying ourselves. We know this, and yet only 8.5 percent of the surviving rainforest enjoys protected status. Moreover, poor oversight, ignorance, or even blatant contempt puts even these protected areas in danger from logging.

Currently an area roughly the size of Spain, an estimated 100 million acres (50 million hectares) of rainforest are allocated to logging companies. If the trend continues, it’s believed that by the year 2050 the deforestation of the rainforest will release 34.4 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, the same amount as industrialized nations have released over the past sixty years Additionally, subsistence farmers who burn forests for farming are contributing to 25 percent of the world’s greenhouse emissions.

While the World Bank and other policy makers see logging as a quick boost to the Congo’s regional economy, the long-term devastation is too high a price to pay for the sake of economic developments that may not directly benefit the people of the Congo. Conversely, these actions could be detrimental to the indigenous peoples who have used the forest as a source of food, medicine and shelter for centuries.

Nevertheless, there are solutions on the table. At a UN climate conference in Bali last December, a program was proposed that would grant poor countries like Democratic Republic of the Congo credits as an incentive to help slow deforestation. And Jens Stoltenberg, conference attendee and Norway’s prime minister, suggested in a related speech that “forestry and carbon capture are key to solving the climate problem.” These ideas, when combined with better oversight, global awareness and sustainable alternatives for farmers, will help solve the climate crisis.

Take Action! Get involved! With your help this problem is not insurmountable. The World Wildlife Federation’s website says it best with the local Congo saying, ‘just one finger cannot pick up lice inside the hair.” We must come together to bring about change.
Here are some actions YOU can take:
1. Spread the Word –- tell your family, friends, co-workers about the Congo and its role in climate change.

2. Speak Up, Speak Out - write to your local, state and national representatives about this issue.

3. Write a Letter – writer a letter to the editor of local papers to ask them to cover this important issue.

4. Blog It – Blog your thoughts and ideas about Congo’s role in climate change. Your words can change the world. Get a free blog http://www.blogger.com/home or http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/greenpeaceusa_blog/

5. Where in the World? – Start at home by purchasing new furniture responsibly. Make sure the wood used in your new furniture doesn’t come from the Congo River Basin. How? You can check with the manufacturer to ensure they abide by strict environmental codes or you can visit: http://www.certifiedwoodsearch.org/SearchProducts.aspx.