Previous analyses suggest that would drive up the cost of the traditional plan, making it--and any accompanying drug coverage--increasingly expensive for those who need it most.

CNN: latimes.com: Gore, Bush drug plans -- debate keys on trust

The IMF's own recent analyses, which refute the idea that fiscal contractions boost growth in the short term, suggest that such a tightening might reduce the rich world's already weak growth next year by a percentage point or so.

ECONOMIST: A better way

Analyses suggest that pledges made in Copenhagen, if implemented fully, would put the Earth on course for 3C or even 4C of warming since pre-industrial times, rather than the 2C that many countries say they want to stay below.

BBC: New UN climate chief calls for more ambition