{"query_echo":{"q":"","filters":{"geography":["Upemba National Park"]},"warnings":[{"code":"facet_value_not_in_vocabulary","message":"Value 'Upemba National Park' for facet 'geography' is not in the controlled vocabulary."}]},"total":{"value":2,"relation":"eq"},"page":1,"page_size":20,"self":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/api/v1/search?geography=Upemba+National+Park","stability":"beta","ai_marking":{"digital_source_type":{"uri":"http://cv.iptc.org/newscodes/digitalsourcetype/trainedAlgorithmicMedia","name":"Created using Generative AI"},"notice":"Summary and key insights are generated using artificial intelligence."},"results":[{"id":"glowit-000040","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/glowit-000040","title":"Before the Flood: How an \"illegal\" dam project could destroy forests and biodiversity in one of Congo's oldest national parks","publisher":{"name":"Global Witness","organization":"global-witness"},"document_type":"report","language":"en","date_published":null,"source_url":"https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/before-the-flood-the-dam-that-threatens-one-of-africas-oldest-national-parks/","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The Sombwe Dam project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo threatens Upemba National Park, potentially violating national conservation law and risking the loss of rare species and critical forests. The project, intended to power the copper and cobalt mining belt, could release 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by the end of the century due to forest submergence. Global Witness calls for the suspension of work by PowerChina and demands that international financiers and the DRC government seek alternative sites to avoid devastating biodiversity and climate impacts.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000040#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"The 160-megawatt Sombwe Dam project may be illegal because it is located within Upemba National Park, which could put it in violation of Congolese conservation law.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000040#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The project threatens critical biodiversity in Upemba National Park, including the DRC's last remaining zebras and savannah elephants, and risks the livelihoods of local fishing communities.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000040#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Submerging forests to create a reservoir of up to one billion cubic metres could result in emissions equivalent to 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 by the end of the century, exceeding the emissions from burning 3 million barrels of oil.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000040#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"A leaked study commissioned by the EU described the initial environmental assessment for the Sombwe Dam as 'seriously flawed'.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000040#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The project involves PowerChina and Kipay Investments, with PowerChina having received financial backing from major international entities including BlackRock, Vanguard, Standard Chartered, Société Générale, and China Construction Bank.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000040#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["hydropower","deforestation","biodiversity loss","greenhouse gas emissions","methane","carbon capture and storage","climate finance"],"geography_discussed":["United Kingdom","People's Republic of China"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["investigation","environmental impact assessment"]},{"id":"glowit-000070","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/glowit-000070","title":"Avant le deluge: Un barrage menace l’un des plus anciens parcs nationaux d’Afrique","publisher":{"name":"Global Witness","organization":"global-witness"},"document_type":"report","language":"fr","date_published":null,"source_url":"https://globalwitness.org/fr/campaigns/forests/avant-le-deluge-un-barrage-menace-lun-des-plus-anciens-parcs-nationaux-dafrique/","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The Sombwe dam project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo threatens the Upemba National Park, potentially flooding tropical forests and endangering rare species like savannah elephants and zebras. Global Witness reports that the 160 MW project may violate Congolese conservation law and could release 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 by the end of the century. The report highlights failures in the initial environmental impact study and calls on the constructor, PowerChina, and international financial backers—including BlackRock and Standard Chartered—to suspend work and seek an alternative site.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000070#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"The Sombwe dam project, with a capacity of 160 megawatts, is located within a national park and may therefore violate the national law on nature conservation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000070#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The project threatens the Upemba National Park, which is home to rare species including savannah elephants and the last zebras in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000070#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Submerging forest areas for the dam could result in 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by the end of the century, an amount exceeding the emissions from burning three million barrels of oil.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000070#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"An initial environmental impact study for the dam was found to have \"serious flaws\" according to a study commissioned by the EU and reviewed by Global Witness.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000070#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The dam's likely constructor, PowerChina, has received financial support from major international investment firms and banks, including BlackRock, Vanguard, Société Générale, Standard Chartered, and China Construction Bank.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"glowit-000070#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["hydroelectricity","deforestation","biodiversity","greenhouse gas emissions","carbon capture and storage","methane","climate finance"],"geography_discussed":["United Kingdom","People's Republic of China"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["environmental impact assessment","investigative report"]}]}