Suriname Leads by Example: How a Tiny Nation Could Transform Climate Finance

As world leaders prepare for next week’s COP30 climate summit in Brazil, tiny Suriname is punching well above its weight in global climate discussions. This South American nation of just 600,000 people has achieved something remarkable: it’s one of only three countries worldwide with net-negative carbon emissions, meaning its forests absorb more CO₂ than the entire country produces.

Suriname has preserved an impressive 93% of its original forest cover, putting it in an elite club alongside Panama and Bhutan. Now, President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons wants the world to pay—literally—for this conservation success. She’s pushing hard for international carbon markets that would compensate countries like hers for protecting forests while holding major polluters financially accountable for their emissions.

“Carbon-emitting countries need to be held accountable, and countries conserving their forests must see real compensation,” Geerlings-Simons argues. While the Paris Agreement provides frameworks for carbon trading, she says the money simply isn’t flowing to forest-protecting nations as it should. Her administration recently pledged to formally protect 90% of Suriname’s rainforest—an area larger than Greece.

At COP30, Suriname’s unique position as a carbon-negative nation gives it outsized influence in shaping climate finance policies. The country’s success story demonstrates that effective forest conservation is possible, but Geerlings-Simons insists that without proper financial incentives, other nations may struggle to follow suit. Her message is clear: if you want countries to protect their forests, you need to make conservation pay.