Study estimates $170tn in climate reparations owed by high-emitting rich countries to poorer nations.

Rich industrialised countries responsible for excessive levels of greenhouse gas emissions could be liable to pay $170tn in climate reparations by 2050 to ensure targets to curtail climate breakdown are met, according to a new study. The compensation system is based on the idea that the atmosphere is a commons, a natural resource for everyone which has not been used equitably. The proposed compensation would be paid to historically low-polluting developing countries that must transition away from fossil fuels despite not having yet used their “fair share” of the global carbon budget.