Posted on December, 10 2009

Climate change is one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing humankind.

More than a century of large-scale fossil fuel consumption and deforestation have altered the Earth’s climate system as the build-up of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere have led to higher surface temperatures, shifting climate pat- terns and an overall destabilization of the global climatic system.

There is a widespread belief that developing countries do not take climate change seriously, are not taking steps to reduce emissions and will be an obstacle to reaching a new global agreement to stop climate change. In reality, these countries are not only taking action to reduce their own emissions, but many of them are also playing a constructive role in the international climate negotiations.

This paper focuses on fve of the most dynamic emerging economies – Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa – examining the current trends in GHG emissions in these countries, the actions underway to mitigate climate change impacts, the forces driving these efforts, and the potential opportunities to support further emission reductions.