Congo Basin’s critical mass in equation to avert a meltdown
A logger in DR Congo. Tropical forests are considered the second “green lung” of the planet whose safeguard is vital in fighting global warming. PHOTO | AFP
The peatlands and forests of Central Africa’s Congo region form a crucial part of globally significant nodes of nature for earth's climate stability, according to new findings from Conservation International, which maps the places humanity must protect to strengthen the global response to a climate catastrophe.
The mapped ecosystems contain what researchers call “irrecoverable carbon,” dense stores of carbon that if released due to human activity, could not be recovered in time for the world to prevent the most dangerous impacts of climate change.
