Nature Climate Change, Published online: 16 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02541-5Economists have spent a decade designing the perfect climate club, yet political reality has hitherto rendered these designs practically infeasible. The Open Coalition on Compliance Carbon Markets offers a path forward, but only if its architects recognize that understanding political feasibility is crucial to turning a declaration into a functioning carbon pricing club that could close the emissions gap.