Blue & Green Daily: Friday 17 October round up

Today on Blue&Green Tomorrow, we spoke to Yvo de Boer, director general of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and former executive secretary of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) about energy policies and climate action.

We also reported on poverty charity Oxfam sending a stark warning over the future impact on climate change and the responsible investment advisory CAER defending itself over an analysis on fossil fuels investment, which recently convinced the Australia National University (ANU) to divest.

Blue & Green Daily: Friday 17 October headlines

Blue & Green Daily finds and summarises the top sustainability stories around the web every morning. We start with our own picks from Blue & Green Tomorrow.

SolarCity offers $200m green bonds to retail investors

SolarCity, the leading US installer of residential solar systems, is to offer green bonds directly to consumers, allowing individuals to benefit from the investment opportunity of renewable energy.

National Audit Office to investigate Hinckley Point C subsidies

The financial watchdog has announced it is to investigate whether the subsidy scheme for the UK’s new nuclear plant will represent value for money, shortly after the European Commission declared the UK is not breaching state aid and competition rules.

Oxfam: inaction and financial short-termism putting millions at climate change risk

A “toxic triangle” of political inertia, financial short-termism and vested fossil fuel interests is preventing action to curb climate change, putting millions of people at risk of food and water shortages, Oxfam has warned.

TUI praised for transparency over climate change to investors

UK-based company TUI Travel has received a top score for the information it discloses to its investors about climate change and has been the only firm of its kind to feature in the UK Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) by carbon disclosing organisation CDP.

UK government considers peer-to-peer lending ISAs

The UK government has launched a consultation on how to enable people who offer peer-to-peer (P2P) loans to use tax free individual savings accounts (ISAs).

Fair energy pricing and clear policies the key to boosting green growth

Yvo de Boer, director general of the Seoul-based Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and former executive secretary of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), talks to Blue & Green Tomorrow about the obstacles that are keeping both developing countries and the west from a low-carbon revolution.

Book review: The Road – Cormac McCarthy (2006)

 “He walked out in the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. […] Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it.”

Film review: Taking on Tarmageddon (2012)

Taking on Tarmageddon is the story of the journey of young environmentalists travelling around Alberta, Canada, to see firsthand the devastating effects of tar sands oil on the environment and the people of the Beaver Lake Cree, a First Nations government.

TED talks: Changing Perspectives: The Promise and Challenge of Renewable Energy – Jamey Stillings

Photographer Jamey Stillings shares thoughts on how mankind must learn to coexist with nature to ensure survival of future generations through cleaner energy sources, in this week’s featured TED talk.

CAER stands by ANU fossil fuel divestment advice

Responsible investment advisory CAER has stood by its analysis that persuaded Australia National University (ANU) to divest from fossil fuels, after the government labeled the decision “stupid”.

Photo: Sanja Gjenero via Free Images