East-European transformation countries and climate clubs

‘Climate clubs’ are groups of countries that take climate action outside of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. As the name suggests, membership in climate clubs is restricted to countries explicitly invited to join them. Some climate clubs are more exclusive than others. For example, the G7/G8 is more restricted – if not the most restricted – in terms of the countries that qualify for membership, whereas the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership is open to membership. This explorative analysis investigates in which climate clubs – of which around 15 exist – post-communist countries participate and what characterizes their participation. By assessing the post-communist countries’ involvement in such organizations this study can help determine what the potential of this group of countries is to catalyze more ambitious emissions reduction targets. Theoretically, the article draws on functionalistic arguments as well as considerations about the power of the individual post-communist countries. The two main expectations contend that the political influence of the countries (mostly due to oil and gas resources) and their involvement in other climate clubs determine their membership profile. Empirically, the article uses descriptive and explorative methods such as contingency measures to test the plausibility of the expectations.