Updated information on climate change are lacking in the Congo basin. Moreover, available data are worded in a coded language that impairs their use in decision-making and thus contributes to increase the gap between the information available at the global level and those circulating in the region. This work aimed at assessing the mechanisms of dissemination of scientific information in Central Africa in order to adopt the information channels and languages adapted to various stakeholders, according to their abilities and needs. It is in this context that radio platforms bringing together scientists, policy makers and the public have emerged in 2013 and 2014 in Cameroon and Congo.

Key messages The REDD+ policy process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the past decade has diverged from the initial government planning due to political changes at the international and national levels. While participation is perceived by government and international actors as one of the biggest achievements of REDD+ in the DRC, non-state actors – particularly civil society organizations and Indigenous groups – are skeptical about inclusiveness within the decision-making process. Social inequalities and local power relations may hinder the implementation of participation instruments and the involvement of local and Indigenous communities, impeding their ability to achieve reduced deforestation and poverty alleviation. The political economy and the lack of data on deforestation and forest degradation – and on the recently discovered large swamp in the DRC – make it challenging to monitor, report and verify a reduction in forest emissions within a multilevel setting. The experience of REDD+ tested at scale in the DRC through the Mai-Ndombe jurisdictional project highlights the cost challenges of generating timely and accurate data. Supporting REDD+ finance in the DRC is difficult since the country relies entirely on international funding to fight climate change. A benefits-sharing mechanism remains unclear. Consequently, there is a lack of flexibility in addressing unanticipated costs that may result from the implementation of the process. This jeopardizes the success of the process and raises uncertainty about the expected results. Emerging issues, such as community forestry and the discovery of large swamp areas, make the DRC more attractive for the REDD+ program. The first issue offers a workaround to the problem of securing communal rights, while the second issue provides additional opportunities for REDD+ activities.

The acceleration of global climate change creates a nexus for the examination of power, political rhetoric, science communication, and sustainable development. This book takes an international view of twenty first century environmental communication to critically explore mediated expressions of climate change.

This book considers the global question of climate change from local perspectives in the context of Central Africa. Bila-Isia Inogwabini examines attempts made by the international community to respond to the global challenges posed by climate change in the Congo Basin and highlights that these attempts have so far produced limited results. Abject poverty and the lack of academic, technical, institutional and governance capacities have made it difficult for these solutions to take root in local conditions. Taking a novel perspective, Inogwabini argues that what is needed is not austerity in the use of natural resources but rather increased material affluence for these communities, which will enable individuals to create their own ways to survive through the tides of climate change. He considers factors including social inertia, climate skepticism and lack of political structure and presents a climate change action plan that is targeted at the local level in the Congo Basin. Overall, this volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, global development and African studies more broadly.

This report presents the state of progress of projects and initiatives to promote adaptation and REDD+ in the Congo Basin region and it analyses opportunities for synergies or trade-off between the two strategies. 94 national programs and activities on the ground related to REDD+ and 11 on adaptation have been identified in six countries of the Congo Basin.