Impoverished, Carbon-Negative Suriname Is Betting Its Future On Oil

The tiny rainforest nation of Suriname is on the cusp of a massive transformation. Leaders of the country have signed a massive offshore oil production deal with the supermajor Total, an agreement that promises to lift the country out of a deep debt spiral.

This may sound like a familiar story of the "resource curse," but something different is going on here—thanks to assistance from their former colonizers, the Dutch, Suriname has negotiated a far more advantageous royalties deal than other new oil countries, and the president is promising to create royalty trust funds for each citizen.

The new oil will be produced with solar power and strict flare controls, and backed by carbon credits tied to Suriname's robust and unprotected rainforest, which means it shoul displace dirtier oil on the global market.

Journalist Jake Bittle traveled to the country during its first major oil summit as leaders and citizens grappled with the huge changes about to take place—changes that could make Suriname a global climate success story, or shackle it to a dying energy form.