Friends of the Earth accused France on Monday of planting a "ticking climate bomb" in Mozambique, where French oil giant Total is developing a mega-project to exploit natural gas.
"For several years now, the entire arsenal of French economic diplomacy has been working to defend French interests in Mozambique," the NGO said, notably "a myriad of French companies in the fossil fuel industry and adjacent sectors".
The report, titled "A windfall for the industry, a curse for the country: France thrusts Mozambique into the gas trap", said $60 billion will be invested in vast underwater reserves that were discovered off the country's northern coast in the early 2010s.
The report noted that three gas projects currently under development "could release as much as the equivalent of seven times France's annual greenhouse gas emissions, and 49 times Mozambique's current national annual emissions."
Friends of the Earth said "French companies including private banks and energy companies like Total must immediately put an end to their involvement in gas projects in Mozambique."
