U.S. Lays Out Vision for 2015 Climate Pact to U.N.

The United States on Wednesday submitted to the United Nations its vision for a new international climate agreement that is "built to last," outlining what it thinks should be the main elements of a climate deal to be agreed upon in Paris in 2015.

The U.S. delegation was the first to share its ideas for what the 2015 climate deal could look like, and made clear that a future framework should not use the "bifurcated approach" of the 1997 Kyoto protocol, which placed different burdens on developed and developing countries to reduce pollution.

Governments of over 190 countries agreed last year that a new deal would consist of a patchwork of national contributions to curb emissions that would blur the 20-year-old distinction between the obligations of rich and poor nations.

The United States said it wants the new framework to be more nimble than its predecessor so that amendments to the agreement do not require consensus-based support, which in the past has repeatedly bogged down negotiations.

U.S. Lays Out Vision for 2015 Climate Pact to U.N.