Gore visits U.N., offers help on global warming

Reuters
Gore visits U.N., offers help on global warming
By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore offered on Friday to work closely with the United Nations in furthering programs on global warming, the U.N. secretary-general said.

But Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon did not reveal any initiatives that would involve Gore, who was in New York for the Tribeca Film Festival after his documentary on climate change, "An Inconvenient Truth," won an Oscar.

"He offered strong support and commitment to work very closely with me, and I am going to fully use his very powerful political message to mobilize political will and thus enhance the awareness of the international community with this issue," Ban told reporters.

The secretary-general has given up trying to organize a summit on global warming this year but wants a high-level meeting on the subject shortly before world leaders come to the U.N. General Assembly in September.

Gore did not speak to reporters except to say, "Of course," when asked if the meeting with Ban concerned global warming.

The Democratic presidential nominee who lost to President George W. Bush in 2000, Gore has devoted himself to environmental concerns for decades. The United Nations gave him an environmental award this month.