ACCESS4ALL Group

The DRC strategically used its vast oil reserves and critical rainforests as bargaining tools in international climate negotiations by signaling that conservation depends on adequate financial support. By aligning with initiatives like REDD+ and coordinating with other rainforest countries such as Brazil and Indonesia through the Coalition for Rainforest Nations, the DRC strengthened its collective bargaining power and increased global attention to its climate vulnerabilities. This strategy links closely to the loss and damage debate, highlighting how countries least responsible for emissions bear high environmental and economic costs and therefore demand fair compensation. Ethically, while leveraging the threat of environmental degradation raises concerns, it also reflects climate justice realities, where vulnerable countries use limited leverage to seek equitable financial support in an unequal global system.