Typically when you think of our green arboreal friends, you don’t think about monetary values. But with mounting insecurity about the environment and the potentially disastrous effects of global warming, people have put a premium on tree conservation. Specifically, Norway and Guyana (a tiny country in the northern part of South America) recently agreed to a deal that will net Guyana $30 million in 2010 for its efforts in conserving and maintaining its natural forests, which take up 75% of its landmass.

Guyana could earn up to $250 million by 2015, if everything goes well and the preservation results in curbing global carbon emissions. This novel concept could serve as a paradigm for limiting carbon emissions by contracting with developing countries with pristine forests, while simultaneously helping those same countries develop and grow in a prudent, sustainable, ecologically-friendly fashion.