It is ironic that countries and people with the lightest ecological footprints are bearing the biggest brunt of climate change. While the global community is still reeling from the rise of climate-denying politicians and struggling to shore up alternative sources of climate related financing, the way the existing climate change policies are being implemented also needs a major rethink.

There is ample evidence to demonstrate how a lack of resources increases exposure to the consequences of climate change, and limits the ability of ordinary citizens, and even nations, to adapt to climate-related impacts. However, the climate related vulnerabilities of poor people and poorer nations are not uniform.

Yet, the global discourse on climate change assumes that all forms of climate action invariably help poorer countries and poorer people, so everyone must play along with whatever policy prescriptions are formulated by those in positions of power. Motivated by this rationale, global institutions like World Bank,........

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