== Controversy == 
 Online commentators and think-tank policy analysts have suggested that Al Gore, had created a conflict of interest by working with GIM which held a %10 interest in the chicago climate exchange and simultaneously being the spokesperson for action on global warming.[2][3] The Competitive Enterprise Institute believes that the government policies Gore advocated to the U.S. Senate in January 2009 "will make him and his friends extremely wealthy at the expense of consumers."[2] Such criticism over this alleged conflict of interest has been made as early as March 2007.[3] 

 GIM had owned a 2.98% stake in the Climate Exchange[4], which in turn owns the Chicago Climate Exchange. This gives Al Gore a financial bias towards promoting global warming control through the trading of carbon credits.[5]