ClientEarth intervenes over Spanish state aid for coal

Last September, the European Commission declared Spanish subsidies supporting power stations burning coal in Spain legal under European state aid rules. This undermines national and international environmental and economic progress and needs to be challenged.

ClientEarth, WWF, and Greenpeace have applied to intervene in cases challenging the move, arguing that the Commission’s decision flouts EU laws on both state aid and the environment. James Thornton, CEO ClientEarth, said: “If allowed to stand, the Commission’s decision would also open the door for other member states to bolster their coal sectors and could issue in a new era of environmentally destructive protectionism.”

Read the Financial Times’ report about the case and intervention on Yahoo!

Access to information

Over 180 organisations, journalists and campaigners have joined our call for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to reject measures to limit public access to information. Our campaign, coordinated with Greenpeace and Access Info Europe, opposes the Commission’s proposals to substantially reduce the number of documents available to the public. James Thornton, CEO, said: “Access to information is fundamental to democracy. If these proposals are allowed to become law opaque decision-making will be legitimatised.” Read about it in the EU Observer HERE

Scottish MEP supports ClientEarth’s Common Fisheries
Policy reform proposal

MEP for Scotland, and Senior Vice President of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee, Struan Stevenson has recorded a video speech supporting our Fishing Credits System.

James Thornton releases debut novel

This month our CEO James Thornton published his debut novel: Immediate Harm.

The story follows Kevin Rogan: a young lawyer in a big New York firm. The last thing he needs is a pro bono case on top of his work load. His client’s in the mid-West: a smart and beautiful girl who has fallen into deep schizophrenia overnight. Her friends start falling as well. Schizophrenia isn’t contagious – or is it? The girls all live surrounded by fields of genetically modified corn. Could an infectious agent jump from the corn to attack the human brain? The clock is ticking. It’s growing season. Can Kevin prove that allowing the corn to bloom will cause great, irreparable and immediate harm? Arrayed against him, one of the world’s most powerful corporations will stop at nothing to suppress the evidence.