China's initiatives can help fight climate change in Africa

In Africa's economic recovery strategies for the post-COVID-19 era, countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo are embracing the trinity of unification, regionalism and multilateralism to spur industrialization and economic growth, and to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

It has been estimated that more than 100 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty in Africa due to the devastating impacts of climate change.

Currently, the DRC is faced with the challenge of having the world's third-largest population living in poverty. As a new member of the East African Community, the DRC joins the regional economic bloc with about 60 million people who live on less than $1.90 a day, the international poverty line. This comes at a time when the country, which has a population of more than 94 million, is nonetheless rich in natural resources, has significant arable land, hydropower and immense biodiversity, as well as the world's second-largest rainforest.

Like most African countries, the DRC is determined to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. However, as a country that has been ravaged by conflict, political instability, acute food insecurity, health crises and extreme poverty, the DRC faces the challenge of fulfilling its intended nationally determined contributions of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels.

By tapping into China-Africa cooperation, the DRC stands a big chance of fulfilling its obligations under the nationally determined contributions and transforming itself into a high-tech industrial nation powered by clean and smart energy.

Currently, various rebel groups in the DRC have turned the rich rainforest ecosystem into their theater of conflict. This has resulted in deforestation and river pollution.


In Africa's economic recovery strategies for the post-COVID-19 era, countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo are embracing the trinity of unification, regionalism and multilateralism to spur industrialization and economic growth, and to mitigate the impacts of climate change.