Trying to curb global heat, UN to turn up its own

By Neil Macfarquhar
Published: July 31, 2008

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has long been accused by its detractors of generating hot air. Starting in August, a glance at the thermostat in the Secretariat building will provide confirmation.
To set an example in the effort to curb energy use that contributes to global warming, the secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has approved a one-month pilot project to raise the thermostat throughout much of the landmark building to 77 degrees from 72 degrees.
The thermostats in the often windowless conference rooms, where much of the heavy haggling and some of the more impenetrable seminars unroll, will be set at 75 degrees, up from 70 degrees.
The building's carbon dioxide emissions are expected to drop by an estimated 300 tons, and costs are expected to decrease by $100,000, according to Michael Adlerstein, who announced the experiment on Wednesday and who will oversee building renovations. He said savings could reach $1 million annually if the United Nations mandated temperature changes year round.
Achieving a uniform temperature in the 39-story building, which was built in 1952, ranks up there with world peace as a noble, if unlikely, goal. Some rooms, notably the General Assembly and the basement, are frigid. Others feel distinctly tropical.

Among other problems, the interior space of the building has been carved up so many times that thermostats no longer correspond precisely to the rooms they control, Adlerstein said. He said the determining factor in whether the United Nations decided to adjust its thermostats for the long term — including keeping the building colder during winter — was the effect on productivity. Naturally, diplomats had strongly diverging views on how they would be affected.
"If the rise in the temperature could cut back on the interminable negotiations running late into the evening for often disappointing results, then the outcome of the initiative would be a very good one," said David Malone, a former Canadian ambassador.
One African envoy involved in countless heated negotiations recently said a compromise could prove more elusive at higher temperatures than it already is. (The diplomat and others interviewed found even the temperature a potentially sensitive topic and spoke anonymously.)
"When it is warm in the room, you are not fully attentive," the envoy said, "And when you are not fully following, you will not be in the mood to compromise."
To help speed the transition, "there is going to a be a relaxing of the dress protocols," said Adlerstein, which in nondiplomatic terms means he jettisoned his coat and tie for the news conference. There are serious doubts that will fly.
"People walking around without jackets on are not taken seriously" said one man from an organization that promotes renewable energy. "You have to follow protocol."
What if Ban sets the example by removing his own tie, as his office said he would?
"Then the protocol will change," the man said.