Japanese get serious about global warming...

Is this farce or what? All this will do is to make the Japanese uncomfortable at work.

Japan's public servants loosened their collars Wednesday, showing up to work at the centre of power in Tokyo without their customary suits and ties as part of an unusual effort to fight global warming.

Public buildings will cut down on air-conditioner use this summer and officials are asking bureaucrats to dress more casually to help beat the heat. "It's so comfortable not to have a necktie," said Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who strode into his office - where the thermostat was set at a steamy 28 degrees C - wearing a long-sleeved, blue Okinawan shirt with white trim.

The effort is aimed at helping Japan meeting its targets under the Kyoto global warming protocol. Tokyo needs to cut so-called greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels by 2012.

To help make the goal, government buildings' air conditioners will be set at 28 C, the maximum allowed by law. Offices usually keep the temperature at around 25.

A meaningless gesture that will just make some bureaucrats angry.