The Democratic Republic of Congo is now globally recognized as a "Solutions Country" in the face of the climate crisis. But behind this promising label lies a troubling paradox: while the world looks to our forests and minerals, local communities continue to suffer from pollution, land grabbing and poverty.
In this new Policy Brief, the campaign Notre Terre Sans Pétrole examines the contradictions at the heart of the DRC’s current political ecology and proposes a new direction: an ecological transition that is not merely a response to global needs, but first and foremost a solution for and with Congolese people.
Why read this document?
This strategy paper starts from a central observation: the current transition, driven by external priorities, too often disregards environmental justice. Through rigorous analysis and concrete case studies, we show why the current model fails to protect communities and how it can be transformed.
The document is structured around three inseparable requirements for genuine environmental justice:
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Distribution: Ensuring that Congolese people fully benefit from the ecosystem services they depend on.
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Participation: Guaranteeing real community involvement in the decisions that affect their territories.
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Recognition: Integrating local knowledge and local organizations into the design of public policies.
What you will find in this Policy Brief:
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A stress test of the "Solution Country" label: A critical analysis of five emblematic cases, ranging from the exploitation of strategic minerals and oil in Muanda to carbon credit projects and the new Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor.
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A denunciation of an "ecology of illusions": How certain megaprojects (such as Inga III) conceal the dispossession of communities, in stark contrast with more sustainable local initiatives such as those observed in Virunga.
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Concrete recommendations: Specific courses of action addressed to the Congolese government, international donors and civil society to institutionalize Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and to condition green investments on strict social criteria.
"The DRC must not be a 'solution country' only for the planet, but first for and with Indigenous peoples and local communities. This requires that its political ecology embrace the principles of a truly just transition, built from the ground up."
