When poorer countries face unpayable debts, their ability to mount a defence against climate breakdown is drastically weakened. That’s why any attempts to prevent ecological disaster must involve ending debts and co-operating on global tax measures, says Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh.

In an extended interview with Harpreet Kaur Paul, Ghosh breaks down the fundamentals of debt and how it has sustained imperial hierarchies for centuries, and presents her own pragmatic solutions to the debt problem, including proposals for international tax co-operation and investment in green technologies.

An extract from this interview appears in the Debt episode of Planet B.

Produced by Freddie Stuart.

Music and sound by Ben Heyderman.

Illustrations by Tomekah George.

Design by Pietro Garrone.

Made with Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung London.