This article analyses the position of the United States, China and the European Union (EU) in regard to climate change. Although climate change is a truly global issue, the focus is on these three main players in the international climate change negotiations, because they are the world’s first, second and third largest emitters of carbon dioxide respectively, and the EU has some of the strongest domestic support to address the climate change challenge. The paper acknowledges that each one of them is geographically and socially diverse, taking this into account when analyzing them. The paper concludes that it may be preferable to have a minilateral climate change agreement (through clubs of coalitions of the willing) than no agreement at all, if that is the only means to ensure that the rising of global temperatures is being addressed. ‘In the absence of a global climate agreement, proceeding without the entire UNFCCC membership as the second best option appears to be a wise option’, the author writes.Please note: Go to page 7 of the PDF to see the full article.