Climate Change - Obama and Wen Jiabao Go To Copenhagen
The top two largest CO2 polluters will have a presence at Copenhagen, it has been announced in the last 24 hours. Yesterday President Obama agreed to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Denmark next month. This was shortly followed this morning by confirmation that the Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, would also be present. These will add another two key players to the list of world leaders attending the conference, which includes UK PM Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Brazillian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. In all, delegations from 192 countries will be attending the summit. As well as announcing their attendance at the summit in Copenhagen, both the US and China have also finally committed to cuts in their CO2 emissions. US officials said Washington would pledge to cut emissions by 17% by 2020, 30% by 2025, 43% by 2030 and 83% by 2050. However, critics have pointed out that these figures are based on 2005 emissions levels, which reveals that the real target will be closer to a more modest 4% cut by 2020 based on 1990 levels – the benchmark other nations and the European Union have based their own cuts on. Mr Carlgren, Swedish Minister for the Environment, said he was pleased the US would deliever an emissions reduction target, but added: “It needs to be sufficiently ambitious. An agreement in Copenhagen will stand or fall on sufficiently ambitious targets by the US and China.” Nevertheless, the promised appearance of key world leaders and emissions reductions targets on the table has given Copenhagen an essential boost after the fears that the summit was failing before it had even begun.

Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property (IP) rights not always a great thing? No new news there. Long have people argued that ownership rights such as those for drug patents have as many negatives as positives, especially those desperately in need of medicines that due to IP rights are completely unaffordable for individuals and nations. The counter argument has always been that IP is intended to encourage inventors and scientists and investment needed to get their products to the clinic and marketplace. However, today it has been claimed that, “In reality, patents often suppress invention rather than promote it.” This is due to a tactic by companies called “evergreening” with the intent of maintaining patent protection for longer. This happens when a patent is soon approaching its expiration date – companies quickly buy up all the patents of potential rivals to prevent them being turned into competing products. Not only is IP apparently failing to encourage progress, but the high prices charged for pharmaceuticals – claimed to be necessary to fund the costly process of invention – also grossly exceed those required to cover costs and still make reasonable profits.

Hindu Sacrifice Of 250,000 Animals Begins
As the farcical suggestion to improve our health and protect the environment – by slaughtering 30% of British ruminant livestock (cows and sheep) – is discarded with embarrassment in Westminster, the real mass killing of livestock begins today in the village of Bariyapur in Nepal. The world’s largest animal sacrifice began as part of a Hindu festival, with the killing of more than 250,000 animals. The event happens every five years, commencing with the decapitation of thousands of buffalo, sacrificed in honour of Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess of power, and crowds scramble to witness the carnage. Despite the many complaints made by animal rights groups which have called for the event to be banned, profits from the sale of the meat, bones and hide of the dead beast will go towards the development of the area.

 Words: Imogen Sackett

Graphic: Christian Aid

Photo: Julien Mailler