Afterword. Carbon Bust

“Carbon is still more monetarily valuable when extracted from the earth than when sequestered in it and the trees that grow from it. The cattle and crops that can be grazed and grown in deforested spaces, and the land claims that can be asserted there, are more valuable too. This remains no truer in the Amazon than in most other places, despite the special attention and critique the region and its residents receive.” (Greenleaf 162)

“Part of the reason that forest carbon’s value remains low is because a key question of green capitalism remains unanswered. It is a question that a woman asked at the Acrean government meeting attended by the California Public Utilities Commission speaker: who will pay?” (Greenleaf 162)

Synopsis

The afterword explores “how Acrean forest carbon valorization helps us to understand…the rise of [right-wing president] Jair Bolsonaro, allied politicians in Acre, and deforestation there…as well as the continued expansion of green capitalism around the world.” (Greenleaf 32)

Discussion Questions & Key Concepts

• Why has green capitalism continued to expand?

• What are the similarities and differences between Acre and other places you are familiar with in the climate crisis?

• What is the alternative understanding of florestania offered by the term’s creator and what is its significance?