John Ashton, CBE (born 7 November 1956) was the Special Representative for Climate Change at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) from 2006 to June 2012,[1] Director for Strategic Partnerships at LEAD International, and is the founder and CEO of Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G).
John Ashton was born in London on 7 November 1956, and educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, and at Cambridge University, where he read Natural Sciences specialising in theoretical physics.
[3] John Ashton left the FCO in 2002 to found E3G, an independent not-for-profit organisation that works in the public interest to accelerate the global transition to sustainable development.
In June 2006, Ashton rejoined the FCO and was appointed Special Representative for Climate Change by Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett.
Ashton was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to international climate change.