An Examination of the Least Developed Countries in the IPCC AR5 WGII

The Fifth Assessment Report of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5 WGII), on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, was released in March 2014. In providing the latest available knowledge on climate change, the report is of much significance to informing practice and policy for countries around the world, including the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The LDCs are lowincome countries that are subject to growth barriers and, as such, are acknowledged as being particularly vulnerable to climate change. In response to this, certain institutional arrangements and procedures are designed to support the LDCs financially and otherwise. While the IPCC AR5 WGII refers to the LDCs both as a group and individually, references are dispersed throughout the report, rather than the LDCs being discussed as a point of focus in themselves. As such, this review serves to highlight these references, indicating how the LDCs are framed within the IPCC AR5 WGII.