An attorney by training, over the last decade Jones has made a name for himself in the US for combining environmental advocacy with civil rights activism. In 2009, Jones was appointed President Obama’s special adviser for “green jobs, enterprise and innovation” but was soon forced to withdraw from the post following Republican critiques of his political past. Far from the Marxist he is occasionally labelled as, Jones is a key player in the emerging green capitalism discourse, as well as being a strong player in raising awareness of the racial elements of environmental politics, at least in terms of how it plays out within the US. For the last year, Jones has been a panellist on CNN’s Crossfire and can also be found on Twitter as @VanJones68.