UN climate meetings organised in a way that benefits richer, larger countries. Countries with more economic power have more influence over the negation processes at the COPs at the expense of poorer, often smaller, and less developed countries. This power materializes in different ways.

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1. Every year, the UN organises its global climate change Conference of the Parties, “COP”, with the aim to create action to halt climate change and support those vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

   “Our analysis clearly shows that some groups are not heard or represented. The very structure of the COPs makes it almost impossible for smaller countries to voice their interests, since they are not able to be present in all the parallel negotiations”, says Lina Lefstad, PhD student at Lund University, and lead author of the study.

   The study, published in Critical Policy Studies, is based on analysis of fifteen previous COPs. The analysis shows that countries with more economic power have more influence over the negation processes at the COPs, at the expense of poorer, often smaller, and less developed, countries. This power materialises in different ways. For example, the wealthier the country is, the more delegates it can send to COP, which means that it can be active in all the parallel sessions. At COP15, in Denmark in 2009, China sent 233 delegates, compared to Haiti which sent seven, and Chad which sent three people respectively.