How do developments in the South affect climate change?

Despite the provisions of the UNFCCC some developed countries, the United States in particular, are insistent that their actions are contingent on ‘meaningful participation’ by developing countries. This paper explores the developments – social and economic – in the South that would influence GHG emissions and identifies those developments that are essential to a long-term solution of the climate change problem. The paper argues that participation in project based activities, such as those defined by the CDM, may bring about short-term reductions in the rate of growth of GHG emissions. However, building the social infrastructure of developing economies is an essential precondition to facilitate their transition towards a situation wherein they could also undertake quantitative commitments towards climate-friendly development. Paradoxically, Official Development Assistance that would facilitate such a transition is on the decline.