🌍 Experts Call for New Taxes on Worst Polluters to Help Poorer Nations with the Climate Crisis

 

Climate experts are urging world leaders to introduce new taxes on the biggest polluters — from fossil fuel giants to the ultra-rich — to support poorer nations facing the worst climate impacts.

🌱 A New Push for Climate Justice

As the climate crisis deepens, a global debate is heating up: Who should pay for the damage? Experts are now calling for new taxes on the world’s biggest polluters — including oil and gas companies, carbon-intensive industries, and the ultra-wealthy — to help fund climate adaptation and recovery in developing nations.

According to a report highlighted by The Guardian (Nov 2025), the proposal is part of the “Baku to Belém Roadmap”, a key policy framework emerging ahead of COP30 in Brazil. The plan urges countries to explore new global tax mechanisms to raise climate finance and ensure that those most responsible for emissions help those most affected.
👉 Source: The Guardian

💰 Why the Call for New Taxes?

Developing countries face the harshest climate impacts — droughts, rising seas, crop failures, and extreme weather — despite contributing the least to global emissions. Yet, financing to help them adapt remains far below what’s needed.

• The roadmap estimates that poorer nations will require US $1.3 trillion a year by 2035 to meet their climate goals.
• Existing public funds and aid are falling short, leaving vulnerable communities without the resources to rebuild or adapt.
• A polluter-pays principle is gaining traction — meaning that major emitters and wealthier nations should bear a greater financial burden for the crisis they helped create.

🏭 What Taxes Are Being Proposed?

1. Fossil Fuel Levies – Targeting oil and gas producers for the profits linked to carbon emissions.
• Similar proposals have already surfaced in the EU and African Climate Summit.
• Reuters Report notes that EU ministers agree the fossil fuel industry should contribute more to climate finance.
2. Wealth Taxes – Applying small taxes on ultra-rich individuals, especially those with high-emission lifestyles such as private jets and superyachts.
• Supported by global NGOs like Greenpeace, which says such taxes can fund just transitions and energy access for poorer nations.
• Greenpeace Report
3. Financial Transaction Taxes (FTT) – A minimal levy on global stock, bond, or currency trades, which could generate billions in annual revenue.
4. High-Carbon Sector Fees – Extra charges on industries like aviation, shipping, and cement that have heavy carbon footprints.

🌎 Potential Impact

✅ Fairer Burden Sharing: Ensures that those responsible for the majority of emissions contribute the most.
✅ Stable Climate Financing: Could provide long-term, predictable funding for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.
✅ Incentive to Decarbonize: Taxes could pressure high-polluting sectors to transition faster to clean energy.
✅ Support for Global Goals: Helps align funding flows with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.

⚖️ Key Challenges Ahead

Implementing global taxes will require strong political will and international coordination. Experts warn that:

• Nations must prevent tax evasion or profit shifting by large corporations.
• Revenue systems should be transparent so funds directly reach climate-affected communities.
• Global cooperation is vital to ensure fairness and avoid burdening small economies.

🌿 A Global Shift in Climate Finance

This growing movement marks a turning point: climate justice is not just about cutting emissions — it’s about restructuring global finance. Taxing pollution and extreme wealth could finally unlock the funds needed for equitable climate resilience.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also supported this direction, calling on rich nations to “honour and scale up” their financial commitments to the Global South.
👉 Associated Press Coverage

🧭 Final Thoughts

The call for new taxes on the world’s worst polluters is more than an economic debate — it’s a moral and environmental imperative. As we move toward COP30 in 2025, these proposals could shape the next era of climate justice, ensuring that the nations least responsible for the crisis receive the support they urgently need.

References

• The Guardian (Nov 5 2025): “Experts call for new taxes on worst polluters to help poorer nations with climate crisis.”
• Reuters (Mar 18 2024): “Fossil fuel sector should pay climate finance, EU ministers say.”
• Greenpeace International (2024): “5 Reasons Greenpeace Calls for New Global Tax Rules at UN Tax Convention Negotiations.”
• Associated Press (2025): “UN chief urges rich nations to meet new commitments on climate finance.”