Now, "the second green lung" of the planet burns in Africa | Chronic

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, wanted to make visible the drama that lives "the second green lung" as it is called the jungle of the Congo Basin, in sub-Saharan Africa. "Forests are also burning in sub-Saharan Africa, we are exploring the possibility of launching an initiative similar to the one we have just announced for the Amazon"said the French president of the G7 in Biarritz.

In this way, the president tries to sensitize the public to the ecological drama that undergoes this region and which burns even faster than Amazonas. In fact, a satellite map of NASA shows the principles of fires in the heart of the continent, from Gabon to Angola, from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.

The jungle of the Congo Basin covers an area of ​​about two million km² in several countries, half of them in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the rest in neighboring countries (Gabon, Congo, Cameroon and Central African Republic). .

Like the Amazon, the jungles of the Congo Basin absorb tons of CO2 in their trees and peat bogs. They are also sanctuaries of endangered species, such as forest elephants or great apes.

Boring

While Macron wanted to show the problem of Africa, in a statement issued by the Angolan authorities, he was upset by comparisons with what is happening in the Brazilian jungle ".which can lead to a dramatization of the situation and the misinformation of the most reckless minds ".

These fires are frequent at the end of the dry season, adds the Angolan ministry of the environment: "It turns out that at this time of year, in many parts of our country, farmers cause fires during the land preparation phase, because of the proximity of the rainy season.".

"Forests burn in Africa but not for the same reasons"details Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, ambbadador and climate negotiator from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the UN climate conferences. "In the Amazon, forests burn mainly because of drought and climate change, but in Central Africa, they are mainly due to agricultural techniques", added.