The Resource Curse

You are the newly elected leader of a poor, developing nation. A massive, untapped oil reserve has been discovered under a pristine rainforest within your borders. Extracting the oil would bring immense wealth, funding schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, lifting your nation out of poverty. However, it would require destroying a significant portion of the rainforest, a globally important carbon sink, and would commit your country to a fossil fuel economy. International environmental groups are urging you to preserve the forest, offering a much smaller amount of conservation aid.