Home to a tiny population and a large rainforest, Suriname was famous as one of only three countries in the world that absorb more carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere than they emit. Now the South American nation is well-known for a different reason.
French oil company Total has discovered nearly 700mn barrels of oil offshore and is evaluating a $9bn investment, which would turn Suriname into a significant oil producer.
Far from lamenting paradise lost, Suriname’s citizens took to social media to rejoice. “You can imagine the mood,” Chan Santokhi, the former Dutch colony’s president, told the Financial Times. “Finally?.?.?.?people have hope, there is a bright future for everyone.”