A River Runs Through It

The Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest rainforest, is vital to global climate health. But unlike the Amazon, its biggest threat isn’t farming—it’s the demand for minerals driving the Green Transition. Could the race to electrify the world cost us the Congo? Jaap van der Waarde, WWF’s Conservation Director for the region, explores how the demand for rare minerals risks tipping the Basin’s fragile ecosystem—and what must change to protect it.