Every year at the end of summer, South Asia experiences the monsoonThe period of heavy rain during the summer in warm Asian countries.. Rain falls for weeks. Crops grow, bringing food for the year ahead.

This year in PakistanA country in South Asia with a population of 242 million, making it the fifth-most populated country. , however, the monsoon turned sour. Rain fell at a record rate. Rivers overflowed. Lakes burst their banks. Bridges collapsed. A full third of the country was submerged underwater. 

Rising temperatures are to blame. Warmer air can hold more rain. The heat also caused the country's glaciersA slowly moving mass of ice formed by snow building up on mountains. to melt, causing rivers to rise.

So far, 33 million people have been affected, and 1.2 million homes destroyed. To date, 1,343 lives have been lost. A poorer country has borne the brunt of climate change. 

Many believe that this is deeply unfair. The vast majority of CO2Carbon dioxide. emissions are produced by rich countries. 

Pakistan is home to almost 3% of the global population but produces less than 1% of the emissions. As the country's climate minister Sherry Rahman says: "Richer countries have got rich on the back of fossil fuels... and have been burning their way to kingdom come."

On a person-by-person level, the differences are even starker. In a single year, the average Nigerian produces less than a ton of CO2, an average Indian about two. By contrast, a German produces 10 and an American 17. 

Some believe that rich countries owe the poorer ones some sort of pay back. Rich governments could pick up the bill for rebuilding. They could pay to stop the next disaster. Or they could be asked to pay for the long-term damage their activities have caused. 

Others disagree. To punish whole countries is unfair. The richest 1% in the world pollute more than the poorest 50%. It is the ultra-worthy who should pay.

Yes: Just look at the numbers. Rich countries are guilty of leading everyone to the end of the world. It is only fair that they pay to protect the people they have dragged down with them.

No: Normal people in rich countries often have little choice over the way they use fuel. Punishment should be saved for the energy firms that control it. 

Or... The idea of paying back suggests that climate change is a normal problem that will go away with enough money. But it is not. It is much worse than that - and needs a bigger solution.