In the fight to stop climate change, forests are a vital weapon | Frances Seymour

In addition to mitigating the emissions that cause climate change, conserving tropical forests contributes to development in myriad ways

Forests are undervalued assets in meeting the twin global challenges of our time: achieving prosperity and safeguarding climate stability. It's time we gave them the attention - and finance - that they deserve.

Last week, dozens of countries announced a late-breaking wave of commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the climate change summit in Paris this November. While such pledges are welcome, they are not yet sufficient to avert catastrophic global warming. Tropical forests provide an opportunity to close the gap.