The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) strategically used its natural resources as leverage in international climate negotiations by highlighting a stark trade-off: either the global community provides adequate climate finance, or the country may be forced to exploit its oil reserves and vast rainforests for development. By opening oil and gas blocks for auction in 2022, the DRC signaled that conservation without compensation is economically unrealistic for a low-income, climate-vulnerable country. At the same time, it emphasized the global importance of the Congo Basin rainforest as a major carbon sink, positioning itself as indispensable to global climate goals.
Multilateral coordination significantly strengthened the DRC’s bargaining power. By aligning with initiatives such as REDD+, the Coalition for Rainforest Nations, and countries like Brazil and Indonesia, the DRC reframed rainforest protection as a shared Global South concern rather than an isolated national issue. This collective approach amplified political pressure on developed countries ahead of COP27 and reinforced demands for predictable, long-term finance.
The concept of loss and damage is central to the DRC’s strategy. The country argued that it bears climate impacts and opportunity costs—such as foregone fossil fuel revenues—despite contributing minimally to global emissions. This mirrors the broader Global South debate that climate finance should compensate not only for adaptation, but also for irreversible losses and constrained development pathways.
Ethically, leveraging potential environmental destruction raises tensions within climate justice principles. While threatening oil exploitation appears contradictory to climate goals, it reflects structural inequities in the global system. From a justice perspective, the DRC’s approach exposes the unfair expectation that poor countries should conserve global public goods without adequate support. Rather than moral failure, it underscores the urgency of delivering fair, accessible, and sufficient climate finance to avoid such trade-offs altogether.