John Gummer is to chair Committee on Climate Change

John Gummer, David Cameron and Zac Goldsmith in simpler times, when Cameron had commissioned the Quality of Life report from his two environmentalist companions.

Lord Deben (better known as John Gummer) has been selected to succeed Lord Adair Turner as chair of the Committee on Climate Change, the independent body established under the Climate Change Act to advise the Government on emissions targets.

Should we be worried?

Gummer it was who co-authored with Zac Goldsmith in 2007 the radical 'blueprint for a green revolution' as part of the Quality of Life Policy Group, that was backed by David Cameron before his election, which is partly credited for the Prime Minister announcing the intention to create “the greenest government ever”.

At the time, Mr Gummer said: "I see no contradiction between greenness and economic success. The green revolution can do for Britain what the industrial revolution did a couple of hundred years ago."

When questioned on why he owned three cars, including a seven seater 4x4, he responded that this was essential for his Suffolk constituency.

John Gummer served as Secretary of State for the Environment and Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Food under Margaret Thatcher.

He was twice awarded the title "Parliamentarian who did most for the environment internationally" by the BBC, and Friends of the Earth has described him as "the best Environment Secretary we've ever had".

But he will have to divide his time between numerous other occupations:

• as Chairman of the Association of Independent Financial Advisers
• Chairman of Forewind Ltd
• Chairman of Sancroft International Ltd
• Chairman of Valpak Ltd
• Chairman of Veolia UK
• Non-executive Director of Castle Trust Capital Ltd
• Non-executive Director of the Catholic Herald
• Non-executive Director of Veolia Voda
• a Trustee of the Blue Marine Foundation
• Trustee of the British Architectural Library Trust
• President of GLOBE International
• the Board of Directors of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
• and a Trustee of the Theodore Trust.

Besides being famous for once feeding his daughter a beefburger on television, to persuade people that British beef did not contain BSE, he was once called "the biggest shitbag I have ever met" by the Norwegian Minister of Environmental Affairs, Thorbjørn Berntsen, for refusing to discuss the issue of acid rain carried from the UK to Norway and killing its lakes.

And during the Parliamentary expenses scandal, it emerged that he claimed expenses for mole-catching, removing jackdaw nests and gardening, on his estate in Debenham, Suffolk.