BRICS, soft power and climate change: new challenges in global governance?

ABSTRACT This paper aims at describing if, in a context of global gridlock and emerging issues such as climate change, a decisive role could be played by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Despite these countries experiencing internal and structural problems, they could represent an innovative answer to the functioning of the current global framework. In fact, even though they are not considered to be as accountable as western countries in many areas, their leading commitment to global issues such as climate change could provide an important solution to strengthening their weak ‘soft power’. By working together to instigate global change, and taking advantage of Western ‘decline’, can the BRICS play a decisive role in shaping global governance