The Trillion Fund, an organisation that aims to “open up opportunities to profit from clean energy” has released a video aiming to convince the public to keep the Feed-in tariffs that force the taxpayer to subsidise solar panels. It’s terrible…

“In 2014, Britain led solar expansion in Europe. Now the government want to slash the support that made that possible – Feed-in tariffs or ‘FITs’. 27,000 jobs, countless community projects, and our place in the solar technology race are at stake.”

If that doesn’t convince Rudd to stick to her guns, nothing will…

Friends of the Earth have widely distributed this leaflet in Lancashire, illustrated with a tranquil photo of a lake and the words: “Don’t let fracking destroy all of this”. Unfortunately the picture is of Grasmere in the Lake District, an area where there is no license to explore for gas. Despite having the faux pas pointed out to them, FOE are sticking to their guns:

“The leaflet is not misleading, the image of Grasmere is being used as an illustration of the sort of areas that might be under threat from fracking if the government and industry get their way.”

The rock bed under Grasmere is volcanic; there is no shale gas under it. The Advertising Standards Authority is investigating, though knowing them don’t hold your breath…

The latest in our ongoing series of environmental totty is juicy Jaime Herrera Beutler, the Representative for Washington’s 3rd congressional district. A former chair of the House’s Water Resources and Environment committee, Beutler is famous for her fight against US Environmental Protection Agency’s plans to reclassify every “ditch” as “navigable waters” so they could regulate them.

She looks like a glass half full kind of gal…

Lancashire County Council, who against the advise of their own planning officers refused planning permission for two fracking sites this year, are shelling out £100,000 of taxpayer’s money to hire someone who can explain their decision.

In exchange for the ludicrous amount of cash, the person who gets the contract will have three months to come up with a defence of LCC’s reasons for refusing planning permission for one of the fracking sites and present this defence at a public enquiry. Chancers looking to make a quick buck can apply for the job here…

An environmental activist group called “ClientEarth” with ties to Zac Goldsmith, issued a warning in the Guardian last week that they intend to sue the directors of UK businesses who don’t protect investors from climate change:

“We at ClientEarth are closely monitoring the activities of FTSE 250 companies. We will pursue those directors who fail to protect their investors from the challenge that climate change presents.”

Gaia has been trying to question Zac, who was listed on the ClientEarth website as one of its three patrons, about his links to the organisation. But the Mayoral candidate has been scrambling to cover his ClientEarth tracks all week. His patron page on the ClientEarth website was pulled and a member of his team told Gaia “I’m not sure Zac is a patron of ClientEarth?”.

Even after Zac’s people were informed the above screenshot existed, they still refused to reveal whether Zac is or was a Patron of ClientEarth. They did however issue a statement from him:

“ClientEarth has been effective in numerous campaigns, not least in relation to air quality. However I am not involved in the campaigns and do not speak for the organisation.”

Despite his protestations, Zac’s charity the JMG Foundation is listed as a “supporter” of ClientEarth on its website and a Zac spokesperson has confirmed that “as far as I am aware” the JMG Foundation has funded ClientEarth. What is it about being a patron of an organisation that wants to sue much of the City that embarrasses Zac? 

Disgraced former Tory MP Tim Yeo is suing the Sunday Times for libel over three articles from 2013. Readers will remember the paper alleged that when Yeo was chairman of the Energy & Climate Change Select Committee, he offered two undercover journalists to act as an advocate on behalf of their fictitious solar energy company. For a £7,000 daily fee.

Mr Yeo’s counsel Desmond Browne QC says the Sunday Times acted “with a singular lack of responsibility both at the journalistic and the editorial level“:

“Mr Yeo was the unfortunate victim of that irresponsibility. He says that in his last years of service as an MP, his reputation was trashed. At no stage during the lunch when he spoke about ways in which he might be able to assist the journalists, did Tim Yeo understand that what he was being asked to do was act as a paid advocate in breach of the rules.”

During his time as a member of parliament Yeo lobbied for an end to unnecessary air travel as he flew around the world on golfing jollies, used House of Commons banqueting facilities to wine and dine a group of environmental investors, while at the same time raising money for AFC Energy, a company of which he was chairman, and at one point was earning over £100,000-a-year from his green investments as he lobbied the government to stop green cuts. Nuff said m’lud…