The Congo Basin contains the world’s second-largest rainforest at a staggering 178 million hectares (just under 440 million acres). It is also one of the biggest carbon sinks on the planet, containing 29 billion metric tons of carbon in its vast peatlands under the rich forest.

One of the basin’s key countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), aims to open up protected areas and forested peatlands to oil and gas development, with many experts warning of dire consequences to the rainforest and the world’s climate, should these peatlands be disturbed. Sound familiar? On the heels of our Guyana season, we wanted to bring you this deep dive from the great folks over at MongaBay on what's happening in the Congo right now. You can find the MongaBay Explores podcast here and MongaBay's regular Newscast here. Check them out!

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