Gore Blasts American Companies for Lagging on Green Tech

American companies spend too much time fighting environmental regulations and too little time researching and developing the next generation of green technologies, said former vice president and 2000 popular-vote winner Al Gore in a speech to Stanford University business students yesterday. Gore cited a recent deal wherein Ford Motor Co. purchased hybrid-engine technology from Toyota, having fallen too far behind in R&D to catch up on its own. “Unless they change, that story is going to happen over and over and over again,” said Gore. “Detroit should be embarrassed.” He ended his speech with a call to action: “We’re at a turning point where deciding to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem is crucial.”