In fact, negotiators convening Monday in Bonn will be considering a draft treaty that sets the first-ever targets for developing nations to reduce emissions.

The draft, released last week in New York by Yvo de Boer, executive director of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), suggests that developed countries must reduce carbon emissions by 75 to 95 percent by 2050, measured against 1990 levels.

Emerging economies such as India and China would have more leeway, with targets of 15 to 30 percent reductions by 2020, and 25 percent reductions by 2050, measured against a later baseline of 2000.