Al Gore met Thursday with LDS Church leaders in Salt Lake City.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner and former U.S. vice president requested the dinner time meeting to discuss climate change and its solutions, sources said.
Gore had a brief courtesy visit with President Thomas S. Monson before talking with other church leaders.
Gore did not make a public appearance or speak with reporters.
Church spokesman Scott Trotter called it "a cordial meeting" attended by Elder M. Russell Ballard, Elder Quentin L. Cook and other members of the church's Public Affairs Committee.
Gore "gave a 30-minute presentation and expressed his concerns about CO2 emissions, which was followed by several minutes of questions and answers," said Trotter.
While many Christians have begun treating global warming as a moral issue, Mormon Church leaders have opted against addressing climate protection with their 13 million members. A church spokesman said three years ago, "The church has not taken a position on this issue, and I don't expect any new developments in the near future."
Then, last Saturday, church officials participated in the worldwide "Earth Hour" campaign to draw attention to climate change. The Salt Lake Temple's outside lights were darkened for an hour along with those in 88 countries and more than 4,000 cities.
"Prudent stewardship and wise use of resources are principles that church leaders have emphasized throughout the history of the church," Trotter said in announcing the LDS involvement. "The church encourages its members to join with their fellow citizens in supporting worthy programs that will make their communities better places to live and raise their families."
Raising awareness about climate change has been Gore's most public role since serving as vice president to President Bill Clinton and an unsuccessful 2000 presidential campaign.
He won an Academy Award for his documentary on the global climate crisis, "An Inconvenient Truth," in 2006. Along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Gore won the peace prize the following year.
Rob Gillies, Utah's state climatologist, called the Gore meeting "very heartening."
"It's very fulfilling to see someone like Al Gore having an open dialogue with leaders of the church," he said.
Byron Daynes, a political scientist at church-owned Brigham Young University, called it "a good sign." A scholar of the American presidency and the environment, he said it is valuable for leaders to discuss "a major problem we all have."
"It's a good time for any[one] to be hearing this message --- and certainly those in charge of 13 million people," Daynes added.
He had no comment on the likelihood that Gore's visit would shift the church's stance on climate change.
But he concluded, "We'll hear about it in [LDS General] Conference, if it makes any difference or not."
