New York  - The temperature in the United Nations Secretariat will go up a few degrees in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save money, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday.

On Friday, the landmark headquarters of the United Nations in New York will heat up and the more than 4,000 employees will be working in 25-degree-Celsius temperatures, up from 22 degrees. The major conference rooms will be a little bit cooler, at 23.9 degrees Celsius.

The UN heating-up campaign is called "Cool UN," and could save the profligate organization 100,000 dollars in air-conditioning in August.

For Ban, fighting climate change is a top priority. The thermostats will be raised for August only, as a trial. The campaign is expected to save 4,400 pounds of steam, the equivalent of 300 tons of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas that contributes to the warming of the atmosphere.

To encourage UN diplomats to work in warmer conference rooms, Ban has asked them to wear their national dress instead of the required formal Western attire.

"During the winter months, the process could be reversed and staff and delegates could be asked to dress warmer, which would also reduce energy consumption, emissions and heating costs," a UN statement said.

If the experiment is a success, the "Cool UN" campaign will continue in the fall.

Ban has called on the UN worldwide to reduce its carbon footprint, which is measured by how much carbon dioxide is emitted by each building or each person while performing daily activities.

UN headquarters, built in the early 1950s, has several defective heaters and air conditioners. In the summer some parts of the building are either too hot or freezing. In winter, the higher floors remain far too cold.

The UN has started a major 1.7-billion-dollar renovation on the old headquarters, which would take up to five years to complete. The original structure was built with about
80 million dollars on a 16- acre land along the East River, a former slaughter house, that belonged to the Rockefeller family. (dpa)