But U.S. climate legislation is just one piece (albeit a large one) of the global picture.  Yesterday in Bonn, Germany, the current draft of the next international climate agreement lived to be argued over another day.  It was the first step on a long road to a successful international agreement in Copenhagen this December.

One of the biggest challenges negotiators will face is the divide between developed and developing countries.  Emerging economies cling tightly to the concept of “common but differentiated responsibility.”  Because developed nations are responsible for the bulk of per capita emissions, they should be required to shoulder the bulk of emissions reductions.  Additionally, developing countries argue that economic development must be their priority.  It would be unfair for them to be forced to adopt emissions regulation that would slow development and make it considerably more expensive.

India and China have been the loudest defenders of “common but differentiated responsibility.”  Unfortunately for all of us, climate models show that even if developed nations were to adopt stringent emission reduction policies, if China and India continue at BAU levels, their growth will eclipse collective emissions reductions made by developed nations.  It makes things complicated.

However, it will be interesting to see how the leak of India’s national solar plan will affect climate negotiations.  The sheer magnitude and ambition of this plan is not surprising to anyone familiar with India.  But it now seems tricky to argue that India should not be required to meet emissions targets – the means to do so are outlined in the plan.  Is it too much to hope for that other nations follow India’s example and develop renewable energy infrastructure on a national scale?