Deforestation in Latin America and the Caribbean is accelerating, a new report shows, and the implications are growing more ominous every year.

Scientists say deforestation, almost always used to plant crops and graze cattle, accounts for about 20 percent of the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Environmentalists are pushing to allow countries and companies to offset their emissions by paying to preserve forests elsewhere, such as in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Group of Eight nations, meeting in Germany earlier this month, pledged to help poor countries reduce deforestation to provide ``a significant and cost-effective contribution toward mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.''

The amount of forest lost each year from 2000 to 2005 averaged 11,077,734 acres, the study showed -- about the size of Maryland.