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William Brangham:
On a multicountry tour of Africa this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been making the case that the U.S. can be a — quote — “equal partner” with African nations.
In that vein, he recently announced a new partnership with Democratic Republic of Congo in an effort to protect some of that nation’s natural treasures.
It’s one of the most famous and extraordinary places on Earth. The Virunga National Forest, established in 1925, is now a Unesco World Heritage Site. This area, nested in the Congo Basin, is Africa’s oldest national park. It’s home to the only mountain gorillas left on the planet. But parts of this precious land are now up for auction.
Congo is selling 30 oil and gas drilling blocks across the Congo Basin, including some in the Virunga Park. The Congo Basin covers 1.3 billion acres. It spans across six nations, and its trees and soils and peat absorb about 4 percent of the world’s annual carbon emissions.
The auction was announced last May in a video posted by the government on social media, encouraging oil and gas companies to bid. This week, on a visit to the capital, Kinshasa, Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Congolese officials to prioritize environmental conservation.
Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State: We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks. Some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rain forest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park.
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