The
Independent: Ecuador is negotiating a novel green energy
deal, whereby it would agree not to drill for the some 846
barrels of crude oil beneath its surface, provided that rich
nations invest half the market value of the oil—about
$3.6 billion—in renewable energy developments to help the
country further cut its carbon emissions. The oil in question
lies beneath the Yasuni National Park, one of the most
biodiverse rainforests on Earth and home to two of the world's
last remaining uncontacted indigenous tribes. The plan is
backed by Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, and the
oil-producing OPEC countries, and the United Nations
Development Programme has agreed to be the independent
administrator for the project's trust fund.
