South-South Technology Transfer Addressing Climate Change: The Emerging Role of Developing Countries in the Global Climate Governance

ABSTRACT:
Given the ongoing discussion on the crucial role of technology to address climate change and the increasing international pressure on developing countries to combat global warming, this paper analyses the potential of South–South technology transfer as an interesting alternative to the traditional pathway of North–South transfer of technological innovation through financial flows, emphasizing the role of developing countries as sources and not only as recipients of international technology innovations. Until now, no coherent or comprehensive international regulations for the new phenomenon of South–South technology transfer has yet been formulated and the UNFCCC CDM addresses essentially North–South movements of technologies. The different WTO Agreements offer only indirect and partial regulation of specific aspects of the movements of knowledge and technology between developing countries.