Over the past few years, we've seen every international climate summit fail to produce a binding treaty on climate change. The issues always remain the same - developing versus advanced nations and their respective obligations.
It seems that a new approach is emerging now. Rather than forcing every country into one scheme, let each country decide how they want to address the situation and support them in achieving their goals.
That's what the US proposed in the latest international meeting in Bonn, which took place last week. Negotiators are meeting several times a year to prepare for the next big summit in 2015, where world leaders have promised to sign a treaty.
Todd Stern, negotiator for the US, proposes that each nation create its own plan, which would encourage all countries to come to the table.
"Countries, knowing that they will be subject to the scrutiny of everybody else, will be urged to put something down they feel they can defend and that they feel is strong," he says.
Countries would submit initial plans several months before the 2015 meeting, giving time for review, feedback and revision.
"It is very hard for us to imagine a negotiation with dozens and dozens and dozens of counties actually negotiating everybody else's targets and timetables," he told reporters.
Stern says the idea is gaining traction, and the World Bank has begun a similar, parallel effort.
The World Bank has formed the "Partnership for Market Readiness," which helps countries meet emissions targets as quickly as possible.
The group are "champions of the carbon market, the club that's going to set international standards" rather than UN talks," European Commission Director Artur Runge-Metzger told Bloomberg.
The Partnership provides grant financing and technical assistance to spur collective innovation and market-based instruments that can cut greenhouse gas emissions quickly.
16 countries have signed as "Implementers" on including China, India and Brazil, and it looks like most advanced nations are "Contributors," giving input based on their experience.
Here is the"Partnership for Market Readiness" website:
