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Congo Rainforest Threatened as DRC Auctions Off Oil and Gas Blocks
3 Nov, 2025
Summary
- DRC government opens bids for oil and gas drilling across 124 hectares, over half the country
- Congo Rainforest is world's largest carbon sink, absorbing 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 annually
- Drilling plans cover 64% of intact tropical forest, including 72% of Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor
As of November 3rd, 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has opened bids for oil and gas drilling across 124 hectares, which is more than half of the country's landmass. This move has raised serious concerns among environmentalists that the Congo Rainforest, the world's largest rainforest carbon sink, could be under threat of destruction.
The Congo Rainforest currently absorbs around 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 annually, similar to the annual emissions of Russia. However, the DRC's plans to auction off 52 "oil blocks" across 64% of the country's intact tropical forest, including 72% of the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor, a plan to create the largest protected tropical forest area in the world, have sparked fears that this vital carbon sink could be lost.
