In addition to the simple fact that the money is badly needed, there are practical political reasons why “polluter pays” should guide climate financing. As we have seen, responding to the climate crisis can offer real benefits to a majority of people, but real solutions will also, by definition, require short-and medium-term sacrifices and inconveniences. And what we know from past sacrifices made in the name of a crisis—most notably via rationing, conservation, and price controls during both world wars—is that success depends entirely on a perception of fairness. In Britain and North America
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