Gore touts climate change business hopes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore told a Dubai conference the climate crisis is "the single biggest business opportunity" in history.

Gore, speaking before Middle East experts at the four-day Leaders in Dubai conference, said the United Arab Emirates could be a leader in the production of alternative energy because its sunny desert climate lends itself to solar energy production.

"Solving the climate crisis is the single biggest business opportunity in the history of the world," Gore said.

The UAE was cited in an October 2008 Gulf News report based on 2005 statistics as having the highest per capita carbon footprint of any nation in the world. Gore praised the nation's efforts to reduce use of fossil fuels for transportation and power generation. Dubai opened a Metro system last month and modernized its entire public bus fleet.

Gore also dismissed claims in an Oct. 22 Pew Center report of a 14 percent decline to 57 percent of Americans believing there is evidence the earth is getting warmer and said using the phrase global warming instead of climate change is not a problem.

"That poll is an outlier," Gore asserted. "Whatever you call it, worldwide awareness of the problem is growing."