Small actor, big opinion: Least developed countries participation in climate change networks

Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are among the poorest countries in the world. They release little or no greenhouse gases emissions into atmosphere, making them the least responsible for climate change. Additionally, LDCs lack the finances, technology, and infrastructure to contribute to the enhancement of the international climate change regime. By all accounts these countries have every incentive to free ride off the climate change policies and programs of other countries. Yet, instead of allowing the negotiations to be dominated by the wealthy Annex I countries, the LDCs choose to be active in the meetings of climate change regime. Applying network analysis to the UNFCCC COP 14 conference, this paper uncovers the participation patters of the LDCs with a particular emphasis on meetings involving technology transfer and financial mechanisms.