The Climate Contest

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