Al Gore is quite possibly the most prominent climate-change campaigner on the planet. His Oscar-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, thrust the global-warming agenda firmly into the mainstream US media in 2006, and has been seen by millions worldwide. In October 2007, Gore and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in building awareness of man-mad climate change.

Gore’s environmental credentials are as firmly established as his frequent quip ‘I used to be the next president of the United States’. His pioneering campaigning on the threat of global warming is set out in his bestselling book Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit (1992). It was a bold step by Bill Clinton to choose an environmental campaigner as his running mate, and Gore went on to serve as Vice President throughout Clinton’s term of office (1993–2001). He famously lost the 2000 election race to George W Bush after a hotly disputed recount.

Gore’s other projects include the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Project and Live Earth. Gore's share of the $1.5million Nobel award was pledged to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

He is also co-founder and chairman of Current TV - a cable and satellite network for young people based on ‘citizen journalism’ - serves on the board of Apple Computers, and is a senior adviser to Google. In 2004, he set up an ethical investment company in partnership with David Blood (somehow resisting the temptation to name the firm Blood and Gore). Generation Investment Management specialises in sustainable development projects.

Quite possibly the most prominent climate change campaigner on the planet.

Despite his packed schedule as an environmental campaigner, speculation persists that Gore may run for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2008 US elections. Doubts as to whether he could be as effective in combating climate change from high office is the factor that may curb his remaining political ambitions.