Wealthy nations should buy tropical forests.(Carbon Emissions)

Wealthy countries collectively willing to spend about $1,000,000,000 annually could prevent the emission of roughly 500,000,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year for the next 25 years, suggests research spearheaded by Ohio State University, Columbus. It would take about that much money to put an end to 10% of tropical deforestation--one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions--in the world. This type of program has the potential to reduce global carbon emissions between two percent and 10%.

Under "avoided deforestation," the wealthiest nations would pay landowners in developing countries not to cut down wide swaths of forested land to make way for agricultural …