More than 100 heads of government and 40,000 other attendees are gathered in Paris to craft a global climate deal. It’s challenging work, made more complicated by the slew of alliances among countries–especially since nations can belong to multiple groups. The likely outcome is a pact that will formalize the carbon cuts that countries have promised to make, with room for debate. But as President Obama said at the summit’s start, “no nation–large or small, wealthy or poor–is immune” to the effects of climate change. Here’s a breakdown of the players at Paris:
KEY
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Major alliances
Top 50 countries sized by their carbon footprint in 2011
MAJOR NEGOTIATING GROUPS:
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OPEC Nations
Oil exporters that have a history of blocking meaningful climate action
QATAR
IRAN
INDONESIA
UAE
NIGERIA
VENEZUELA
KUWAIT
IRAQ
SAUDI ARABIA
ALGERIA
Saudi Arabia has asked for compensation for any lost oil revenue due to a climate deal
European Union
The E.U.’s 28 nations negotiate in a bloc and push for tougher climate action
SPAIN
GREECE
ROMANIA
CZECH REPUBLIC
GERMANY
NETHERLANDS
POLAND
AUSTRIA
FRANCE
U.K.
ITALY
BELGIUM
The U.K. has proposed eliminating all of its remaining coal power plants by 2025
Umbrella Group
A coalition of non-E.U. developed countries that have been foot draggers on climate change in past summits
NORWAY
RUSSIA
NEW ZEALAND
JAPAN
AUSTRALIA
U.S.
UKRAINE
KAZAKHSTAN
CANADA
The U.S. aims to cut carbon emissions by 32% from 2005 levels by 2030
New Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has promised a greener government
Group of 77 and China
This influential group of developing nations now includes 134 countries
CHINA
BRAZIL
EGYPT
SAUDI ARABIA
INDONESIA
ALGERIA
IRAN
PAKISTAN
COLOMBIA
PHILIPPINES
VIETNAM
QATAR
OMAN
CHILE
NORTH KOREA
KUWAIT
THAILAND
MALAYSIA
NIGERIA
SOUTH AFRICA
ARGENTINA
UAE
VENEZUELA
IRAQ
INDIA
China announced plans to develop a national carbon cap-and-trade program
India’s plan to cut emissions has been criticized as too vague
Environmental Integrity Group
This mix of developed and developing countries tries to find common ground on climate change
LIECHTENSTEIN
SOUTH KOREA
MONACO
SWITZERLAND
MEXICO
Mexico’s stock exchange launched a program to allow polluters to trade carbon credits
Alliance of Small Island States
A coalition of 44 low-lying and small island countries that pushes for ambitious carbon cuts
CUBA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
JAMAICA
SINGAPORE
Small island nations emit a relatively small amount of carbon, but they have a lot to lose from rising sea levels
COMMON PRIORITIES OF THE ABOVE GROUPS:
Transparency
Developed countries want strong measures to ensure that developing countries follow through with their commitments
Ambition
These nations are pushing for a more aggressive carbon-cut target …
Differentiation
… as well as an agreement that differentiates between the responsibilities of developed and developing countries
Adaptation
Many of the most vulnerable want the agreement to focus on methods to adapt to warming, not just slow it down
Loss and damage
These groups want clear terms outlining how to handle loss and damage related to climate events in the most vulnerable places
Finance
These groups say that adequately addressing climate change in the developing world will hinge on financial commitments to the tune of $100 billion a year flowing from rich nations to poor ones
OTHER GROUPS IN THE CLIMATE NEGOTIATION PROCESS:
54 Number of countries in each group
African Nations
The group aims to raise the influence of Africa, which is very vulnerable to climate change
22 League of Arab States
These nations could face terrible heat–but depend on oil revenue
16 Coalition for Rainforest Nations
This group advocates reforestation to mitigate climate change
48 Least-Developed Countries
All are very poor and need help adapting to climate change
18 Like-Minded Group of Developing Countries
They represent more than 50% of the world’s population
7 Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean
This group pushes for adaptation funding
54 Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie
This alliance is composed of French-speaking nations
4 BASIC Countries
The major developing nations: Brazil, South Africa, India and China
NOTE: NOT ALL COUNTRIES UNDER TOP 50 CARBON PRODUCERS ARE LISTED FOR SPACE. SOURCES: JENNIFER MORGAN, WRI; CDIAC; U.N.; THEROADTHROUGHPARIS.ORG; U.N. FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE; U.N. STATISTICS DIVISION; WORLD BANK; NPR
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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com