In an effort to demonstrate that rhetoric over the current climate crises is not empty, members of the United Nations have decided to crank up the heat to combat global warming. 

Yesterday, the organization announced that it will increase the interior temperature of their 39-story office headquarters in New York City by 5 degrees Fahrenheit.  What better way to make sure 4,500 people of varying cultural and political backgrounds work cohesively and without conflict than to cram them all into a building and crank up the heat!

The increased temperature is meant to decrease the electricity demand for air-conditioning, and thereby reduce the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere by the fossil fuel power plant predominately used to power the AC.  But no one seems to be worrying whether the energy-efficient move will decrease human efficiency.  The U.N. has enough problems with this; the last thing the organization needs is heat-induced lethargy and people cat-napping in their Caribbean-esk environment.

Not surprisingly, there are differences in opinion over the new policy in the U.N.  Some see it as a mere empty, ceremonial gesture, while others are embracing the change as a way to accrue empathy for those living in poorer, hotter countries with little or no air conditioning. 

"Some of us grow up in a natural environment," a former U.N. ambassador from Bangladesh told the Washington Times. "We do not have the benefits of air conditioning. It is important to understand the realities of living in various parts of the world."

To ensure its employees and ambassadors keep cool, the U.N. is allowing them to dress in their traditional dress.  Hopefully, Americans - our President included - won't interpret that as Hawaiian shirts, kaki shorts, and sandals.

Also Interesting: 

Government workers caught using fake diplomas
Philly officials experiment with flawed technology
Is there a military term for metrosexual? How about egregious waste?
Going Postal Now Means Going Green