"Cool UN" Initative Starts

Under the new initative the UN's New York headquarters will get hotter in an attempt to make the world cooler. For all of August the UN building's thermostats will rise from their usual chilly 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Centigrade) up to 77 degrees (25 degrees Centigrade).

The main UN premises in Bangkok, which houses over a dozen of the Organization's entities, joined the Secretariat today in rolling out the “Cool UN” scheme.

“Cool UN” is just one of several schemes United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is involved in to slash energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2002, it has cut back electricity consumption by 16 per cent yearly by replacing old and inefficient appliances such as power transformers, elevators, air conditioners, lights and pumps.

ESCAP's service also has pilot solar panels and wind turbines, and water usage has been reduced by 30 per cent every year through new higher-efficiency water closets and using recycled water for the main gardens.

It is expected the programme will reduce CO2 emissions by 300 tonnes and $100,000 this month, with annual savings of 3000 tonnes and $1m, the initative will be implemented all year round.