Congo Basin, Part 4: A 'just energy transition' requires justice in the DRC

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The global 'just energy transition' has increased demand for critical minerals – such as cobalt and copper – for products like lithium-ion batteries, solar panels, and other renewable energy sources.</p> <p>The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which produces nearly 70% of the global supply of cobalt, has a poorly regulated mining sector that's fueled by demand for these natural resources and which has forced Indigenous communities off their land and otherwise done little to lift millions of Congolese citizens out of poverty. The DRC has now opened up land for oil and gas exploration, too, and experts are skeptical that oil will do much to improve people's lives, either.</p> <p><strong>Christian-Geraud Neema Byamungu</strong>, Francophone editor at the China Global South Project, and <strong>Joseph Itongwa Mukumo</strong>, an Indigenous community member of Walikale in the North Kivu province, and director of ANAPA-DRC, speak with Mongabay about what DRC residents need for a just energy transition, and the impacts mining has had on lives and the environment.</p> <p>If you missed the first three episodes of this podcast series, please subscribe to Mongabay Explores wherever you get your podcasts from, or click on the links below: </p> <p><strong><a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href= "https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/mongabay-explores-the-congo-basin-the-heart-of-the-world-is-at-a-turning-point/"> Mongabay Explores the Congo Basin: The ‘heart of the world’ is at a turning point</a></strong></p> <p><strong><a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href= "https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/congo-basin-communities-left-out-by-fortress-conservation-fight-for-a-way-back-in/"> Congo Basin communities left out by ‘fortress conservation’ fight for a way back in</a></strong></p> <p><strong><a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href= "https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/big-potential-and-immense-challenges-for-great-ape-conservation-in-the-congo-basin-experts-say/"> Big potential and immense challenges for gre