ABSTRACT
In 1981, Antoine van Agtmael coined the term “emerging markets,” in contrast to the “third world” concept. His idea was to point at the fact that several developing countries were in a period of transition, performing better economically than the rest of the South. Their increased economic performance led them to struggle for more assertiveness in major multilateral institutions, notably those concerning trade, financing, and development. In spite of that, the question of their increasing bargaining power in global environmental governance remains barely explored. Since the Rio Summit, emerging countries have taken turns to host major events such as the climate convention Conference of the Parties (COP) in Durban, the Rio+20 Summit, or the biodiversity COP in India. They demonstrate diplomatic skills (with a climate deal in Copenhagen or the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol for natural genetic resources thanks, among others, to Brazil) and often manage to bring other players into the game.
