Should Sea Otters Count for Carbon Credits?

Should we be rewarded for shooting ourselves in the foot and then backtracking? Apparently so, at least when it comes to carbon credits. Sea otters, a species that almost went extinct due to fur hunting in the 18th and 19th centuries, could be worth over $700 million in carbon credits if they are restored to healthy populations, according to New Scientist.

The recent decline in the sea otter population admittedly has little to do with humans--the growing killer whale population is thought to...