I believe that would basically be the Instanced Resource System proposed earlier. It was the simplest version of a more accurate resource system, but deemed too simplistic by several parties. If a more fully fledged system is impossible at the moment, I would much rather have the instanced system than the vanilla one.
So, to rehash the details of the Instanced Resource System:
1) Each instance of a resource produces X resource per turn.
2) Each building, unit, and wonder which require resources consume part of the X each turn. A basic, and easily understandable system for players might be:
1 instance can be used for 1 great wonder
1 instance can be used for 2 national wonders
1 instance can be used for 4 buildings
1 instance can be used for 8 units
[Using essentially a base 2, the system becomes easy to mix and match, as in one national wonder, one building, and two units.]
3) Until either the items being built are completed or changed out of the building que, the resource instance is considered exhausted and unavailable.
The biggest shortcoming to the Instanced Resource System is that, while it makes controlling multiple instances more important and removed the notion that a single iron mine can arm a continent, it creates no ability to stockpile resources as yields. I agree that stockpiles would be nice (and neccessary for a true quantitative system), but if we can at least have this, it would be a welcome improvement.