Is Climate Obstruction Different in the Global South? Observations and a Preliminary Research Agenda

The document argues that while climate obstruction is well-studied in the Global North, it remains largely unexplored in the Global South. It proposes ten research themes to analyze how developmentalism, political leadership, transnational links, and domestic energy policies contribute to the delay of climate action. The authors highlight the role of 'organized hypocrisy' where sovereignty claims are used to shield unsustainable practices, and note the influence of external donors and the potential for green technology to create new socio-ecological injustices.

• Climate obstruction research is currently skewed toward the Global North, with a significant lack of empirical data and conceptual innovation regarding how development-obstruction linkages operate in the Global South.
• Developmentalism often leads Global South nations to prioritize economic growth over climate policies, with some countries using 'climate justice' arguments to justify continued carbon emissions for economic development.
• Climate obstruction in the Global South is influenced by transnational links, including the role of China as a source of development financing that often lacks environmental or social criteria, and Global North actors who promote carbon-intensive projects despite official climate commitments.
• State leaders in the Global South may use formalistic defenses of sovereignty to protect unsustainable development and dismiss environmental protections or indigenous rights as external interventions.
• Domestic energy policies in the Global South are frequently driven by external donors and technical assistance, such as the Asian Development Bank and Japan's JICA, which have promoted coal industry expansion.
• The transition to green technologies can create new social and ecological injustices, such as threats to livelihoods in rural farming communities and impacts from raw material mining, which are sometimes used by leaders to justify avoiding decarbonization.

APA

Milani, C. R. S., Edwards, G., Walz, J. R., Hochstetler, K., Faruque, M. O., Kashwan, P., McElwee, P., McKie, R. E., & Roberts, T. (2021). Is Climate Obstruction Different in the Global South? Observations and a Preliminary Research Agenda. Climate Social Science Network. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSSN-position-paper-4_-Global-South.pdf

Chicago

Milani, Carlos R. S., Guy Edwards, Jonathan R. Walz, Kathryn Hochstetler, M. Omar Faruque, Prakash Kashwan, Pamela McElwee, Ruth E. McKie, and Timmons Roberts. Is Climate Obstruction Different in the Global South? Observations and a Preliminary Research Agenda. Climate Social Science Network, 2021. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSSN-position-paper-4_-Global-South.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Milani |first1=Carlos R. S. |last2=Edwards |first2=Guy |last3=Walz |first3=Jonathan R. |last4=Hochstetler |first4=Kathryn |last5=Faruque |first5=M. Omar |last6=Kashwan |first6=Prakash |last7=McElwee |first7=Pamela |last8=McKie |first8=Ruth E. |last9=Roberts |first9=Timmons |title=Is Climate Obstruction Different in the Global South? Observations and a Preliminary Research Agenda |publisher=Climate Social Science Network |date=2021 |url=https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSSN-position-paper-4_-Global-South.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{milani2021climate, author = {Milani, Carlos R. S. and Edwards, Guy and Walz, Jonathan R. and Hochstetler, Kathryn and Faruque, M. Omar and Kashwan, Prakash and McElwee, Pamela and McKie, Ruth E. and Roberts, Timmons}, title = {{Is Climate Obstruction Different in the Global South? Observations and a Preliminary Research Agenda}}, institution = {Climate Social Science Network}, year = {2021}, url = {https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSSN-position-paper-4_-Global-South.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }