The UN's incomprehensible effort to become environment-friendly

article in the newspaper today...

The United Nations (UN) is working on a proposal to organize paperless and environmentally friendly international conferences in future.

To begin with, delegates attending a global gathering in Doha on the ozone layer are being issued laptops in a bid to minimize the use of paper for documents, reports and other publications.

Special software allows participants from 150 nations to share and amend papers. The pilot paperless programme will take its next big step forward next February at a meeting of the world’s environment ministers at UNEP’s headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

The UN makes laptops sound like non-wood paper ! Each of the delegates (most anyway ) are likely to already use laptops . The UN could have emailed the necessary software which would enable them to share and amend papers etc . In a world reeling under the impact of the current economic situation the UN seems flush with funds to try out such ideas to become 'environment friendly' . Wonder if they have a plan to recycle the laptops ? (The Indian delegate will have the task to explain to Indian customs why he left with one laptop and returned with two . I guess such a delegate would have the 'connections' to ensure a smooth entry )