Focusing on climate change, this article discusses possibilities of a local approach to complex global environmental problems. Due to failures of markets and international politics as strategies to govern the atmosphere, an alternative approach could be voluntary initiatives in which the complexity of the global common-pool resource (CPR) is reduced. Assessing such an approach through a case study of food standard development in Sweden, the outcome is two-sided. By means of scientific explanations and stakeholder dialogue, standards were produced, but attentiveness to CPR management diminished as focus turned towards producer interests and efficiency increasing measures. Although the climate issue was promoted, the outcome was far from the needed change and illustrates difficulties to deviate from prevailing priorities. In order to balance local interests and power with global and intertemporal values, and reach absolute emission cuts, change in norms and governance on every level would be needed.