3 Emergence of the Norm for Climate Change Action: The UNFCCC and Contestation of Global South

The UNFCCC and Contestation of Global SouthFor states to protect their societies against the severe consequences of climate change, they are required to adapt and transition.Especially, countries in the Global South have been affected more heavily by climate change (see, for example, Benson and Craig, 2014).At the same time, since wealth is not distributed equally around the globe, some countries do not have the means to adapt sufficiently and to act on climate change.Thus, climate change demands collective action.Wealthier countries are asked to support the less wealthy countries on a compulsory basis and agree on policies to achieve the environmental goals to successfully act on climate change.However, at the Conference of the Parties (COPs) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Global North countries are often reluctant to commit to agreements that speak to this inequity and distribute wealth in this collective endeavour of climate action.In turn, Global South countries respond by contesting this non-solidaric behaviour.This was also the issue at COP19 in Warsaw in 2013 with the G77 walkout, which is the first contestation-legitimation process that will be analysed.The G77 walkout consisted of three walkouts in total and was also followed by a walkout of civil society.This contestation is at the heart of the North-South divide conflict.As the term 'walkout' indicates, all representatives from G77 countries literally walked out of the negotiation room in Warsaw, leaving Global North negotiators behind in astonishment.At the opening of the conference, Yeb Saño, Climate Change Commissioner of the Philippines, criticized the slow motion of the loss and damage mechanism, 'making an emotional appeal to delegates to "stop the madness" and "act decisively on climate change" ' (Busby, 2013).The mechanism of loss and damage was the key issue of the debate and conflict at COP19, which aimed to address