What We’re Reading 12/15/09

Dec 15th, 2009 10:30 AM UTC
By Chandler Smith

Washington Post: Poor nations stall talks on global warming
Global warming talks were suspended for hours Monday because of a walkout by developing countries, as rich and poor nations struggled to reconcile the divisions that have dominated international climate policy for decades. The conference’s Danish chairman, Connie Hedegaard, resolved the issue by establishing a series of small working groups where ministers could tackle key issues such as global emissions targets and money to help poor countries cope with climate change. Tim Wirth, president of the U.N. Foundation, said the delay would not undermine the possibility of a deal, which is supposed to be finalized Friday when more than 110 world leaders convene in Copenhagen.

Wall Street Journal: Time for a Smarter Approach to Global Warming
Bjorn Lomberg, director of the think tank Copenhagen Consensus Center, looks at the cost of climate change, and what those costs could mean for developing countries that face much more immediate problems. “There is no question that global warming will have a significant impact on already existing problems such as malaria, malnutrition, and water shortages. But this doesn’t mean the best way to solve them is to cut carbon emissions,” says. Instead, Mr. Lomberg suggests that the global community should radically increase spending on research and development for green energy.

Politico.com: Africa cool on Obama in Copenhagen
President Barack Obama proclaimed he had “the blood of Africa within me” during his emotional trip to Ghana this summer. But to African climate negotiators in Copenhagen, he’s just another U.S. president pushing a preachy, penurious agenda.

ABC News: Africa’s Culture War: The Fight Over Uganda’s Anti-Gay Bill
ABC’s Dana Hughes reports from Nairobi on the proposed anti-homosexuality legislation in Uganda. She examines its connection, if any, to the U.S. evangelical movement and its potential to reverse progress on HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment.

Associated Press: Malaria cases likely half in third of countries
Malaria cases appear to have been slashed by half in more than a third of countries battling the disease following a renewed push by the United Nations to eradicate it, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. In a new global report on malaria, the U.N. health agency said it was cautiously optimistic the mosquito-borne disease’s spread is slowing, even though its information is patchy and based largely on modeling.

New York Times: AIDS Prevention Gel Fails in Trial, Researchers Say
A microbicide to protect women against infection has failed in the largest trial of its kind, researchers said Monday. That failure, according to some, was the last nail in the coffin for this type of microbicide — gels that could prevent the virus from setting in once entering the body. Attention is now turning to gels and rings that release constant doses of antiretroviral drugs to kill the virus or stop it from reproducing.

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