Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, climate hero?

UN Official Praises Korea for Fighting Climate Change

Just as technological advancement is pivotal, public advocacy is important, Migiro said. By the same token, Ban's initiatives can't be ignored in raising awareness of climate change and its consequences.

Ban once traveled to his office by riding in a solar taxi when they were temporarily available on the streets of New York, she said. To all ``It was a very strong message that he was sending. It first of all stated possibility, and secondly the fact that the highest civil servant is paying attention and was ready to lead by example.''

``Cool U.N.'' was another initiative, she explained. As for building temperature, the U.N. Secretariat was kept a little warmer than usual during the summer and staff members were allowed to wear short-sleeve shirts.

She urged people to pay attention to small actions that would eventually add up and play a big role in reducing greenhouse gas emission.

She said to turn lights off when leaving a room, which she grew up doing for its cost-effectiveness (yet now carries a more important implication).

1. Wasn't that "solar" taxi thing just a one-day photo-op, and wasn't the "solar" taxi plugged into "the wall" overnight?

2. Wasn't that brief "Cool UN" experiment also a fiasco, when Moon admitted to reporters that because his office became "very warm", he "had to move sometimes" to his next door conference room, which a reporter described as feeling "like an icebox"?

3. If President-elect Obama can scoff at token global warming "solutions", why can't we?