Tropical forests store huge amounts of carbon. When their trees are cut or burned, the carbon is eventually released into the atmosphere, mixing with oxygen to form the long-lasting greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. The pace of deforestation is so great today that it accounts for an estimated 12 to 15 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions annually. Economic forces drive this destruction — for timber, rangeland, mining and development.

Corporate sustainability efforts have done little to improve biodiversity. But natural capital accounting may be starting to change that. Over the past few years, businesses have increasingly talked about the need to assign monetary value to forests, wetlands and other ecosystems. The concept has been gaining momentum, and leading companies are already factoring it into their sustainability planning.

This World Bank blog recounts the voices and stories about how to enhance the way we interact with our planet. From Ethiopia to Indonesia, there have been efforts to improve lives and help incomes grow as countries and communities strive for greener landscapes, healthier oceans and cleaner air.

The worst tsunami on record hit South-East Asia on December 26, 2004 killing more than 227,000 people in total. Although nothing could have prevented massive destruction, nor stopped the permanent sea invasion that followed, there is growing evidence that even under such extreme circumstances mangroves' dense root and branch networks could help dissipate tsunamis, reducing their devastation.