ABSTRACT
Proponents of international programs to commoditize carbon sequestered through “avoided deforestation” portray it as a strategy that is favorable for conservation, development, and equity outcomes. By reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deforestation, the programs promise to contribute to climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. By financially rewarding carbon storage, they promise to provide needed income for rural development. By transferring financial resources from northern temperate nations to southern tropical ones, proponents hope to address inequities in global wealth distribution. Advocates of the approach hold it to be a win-win situation in which three objectives-environmental protection, rural economic development, and global equity-are achievable simultaneously.
