Gabon has agreed to a deal with Bank of America and The Nature Conservancy to refinance $500 million in national debt toward marine conservation efforts in the country. Deals like these are known as debt-for-nature swaps and they are becoming an increasingly popular way to encourage climate commitments. But, as The World’s host Carol Hills learned from Dennis Essers, it’s not entirely clear yet what impact they have on the environment. Essers is an economist with the National Bank of Belgium and a researcher at the University of Antwerp.
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