When the British journalist followed up, saying that many stars used emission-heavy private jets while touting environmental protection, a testy DiCaprio countered that he had taken a commercial flight from New York.

"I try to travel commercial as much as I can," he said.

DiCaprio later came back to the reporter, saying that he was irritated with the media for going after prominent environmentalists such as former US vice president Al Gore (whose own film on global warming "An Inconvenient Truth" picked up an Oscar this year) for supposed inconsistency in their private lives.

"We're all trying the best we can, truly, we really are," he said.

"Attacks on Al Gore for example I think are misdirected. Don't shoot the messenger, you know what I'm saying? If you're going to attack somebody on the way they conduct their life, let's talk about the big picture, let's see what big oil companies are doing.

"This person is truly trying to relay a message to the public and the way he travels and the way he leads his life should not be splayed out like that."

DiCaprio, who described himself as an environmentalist for the last decade, got into hot water in 2000 when activists charged that part of a Thai national park was damaged during the shooting of his film "The Beach." The crew denied the accusations.

"The 11th Hour" presents a dozen experts arguing that human society will be wiped out if global warming continues unabated.

The film picks up many of the themes of "An Inconvenient Truth," which was also an unexpected box office hit. DiCaprio credited the picture with pushing the environment to the top of the US agenda.

"Certainly in the United States we are the ones that should set an example for the rest of the world. We are the most powerful democracy on the planet and we're also the largest polluters simultaneously," he said. While Gore's film was an engaging account of his personal crusade to change American public opinion about the urgency of the pollution crisis one audience at a time, "The 11th Hour" attempts to tackle even bigger questions.

DiCaprio brings in British physicist Stephen Hawking, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Kenyan Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai to argue his case that Western society should "consume less and live more."

Spliced between the interviews are apocalyptic visions of gurgling volcanoes, massive mudslides and clubbed baby seals -- all set against images of America's insatiable consumerism.

DiCaprio said, despite the film's tone, he was optimistic about humanity's fate.

"I'm happy to be a part of this generation that talks about an issue that affects so many generations after us like global warming does. It's probably the biggest movement in human history, if done right," he said.

"The 11th Hour" premiered the same day as another high-profile US documentary, Michael Moore's "Sicko."

The scathing attack on the American health care system and its powerful insurance lobby drew several rounds of loud applause during an early screening for 2,000 guests.

earlier related report
Gore 'hasn't ruled out' running for president in 2008
New York (AFP) May 17 - Former US vice president Al Gore has added a little fuel to rumors he could run for president in 2008, telling the latest edition of Time magazine due out Friday that he hasn't entirely ruled it out.

But while speculation has been swirling for months that the environmental campaigner could announce a White House bid, he told the magazine that he "fallen out of love with politics" and that he was unlikely to run.

"I haven't ruled it out. But I don't think it's likely to happen," Gore told Time, explaining that he considered the role he was now playing as a global spokesman for awareness on climate change to be an important one.

"If I do my job right, all the candidates will be talking about the climate crisis. And I'm not convinced the presidency is the highest and best role I could play," he said in the cover story for the Time issue dated May 28.

Gore, who has repeatedly referred to himself as a recovering politician, warned however: "You always have to worry about a relapse."

His wife Tipper told Time that while many friends had taken Gore to one side to try to persuade him to run, he was not budging.

"Everybody wants to take him for a walk in the woods. He won't go. He's not doing it!" she said.

"He's got access to every leader in every country, the business community, people of every political stripe," she added.

"He can do this his way, all over the world, for as long as he wants. That's freedom. Why would anyone give that up?" she said.

Gore lost the 2000 election to President George W. Bush after serving eight years as vice president under Bill Clinton, and has since been a full time global warming campaigner, conducting lectures around the world and releasing the best-selling book and documentary movie "An Inconvenient Truth."

He has been increasingly in the media spotlight since the film won an Oscar earlier this year and has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

One recent poll had Gore running just ahead of John Edwards in the race for the Democrat nomination with 13 percent of the vote, way behind front-runner Hillary Clinton, who has 40 percent, and Barack Obama with 27 percent.

Analysts have suggested that even with a late start Gore could catch up with other candidates thanks to his high profile, personal wealth and substantial connections in the Internet and technology sectors.

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