Top articles of the week: July 5

This week on Blue & Green Tomorrow, Greenpeace launched a global campaign against Lego over its advertising partnership with Shell.

We also discussed how a coalition of campaigners have urged David Cameron to uphold a ban on bee-killing pesticides, and a new study linking the diets of meat-eaters to a larger carbon footprint compared to vegans.

1. Scientist offers $30,000 for proof that climate change is not manmade

Tom Revell: A climate change expert has offered $30,000 (£17,500) of his own money to anyone who can disprove that mankind is causing global warming, in an effort to demonstrate that climate sceptics cannot support their position. Read more.

2. 548-million-year-old Namibian fossil could be first animal with a skeleton

Ilaria Bertini: Scientists from Edinburgh University have retrieved a fossil in Namibia believed to be the first known animals with skeletons that lived over 540 million years ago. Read more.

3. Greenpeace targets Lego over advertising relationship with Shell

Richard Heasman: Environmental campaign group Greenpeace launched a global campaign against Danish toy company Lego over its advertising partnership with Shell on Tuesday. Read more.

4. Pacific island Kiribati buys land in Fiji to escape climate change

Ilaria Bertini: Kiribati has finalised the purchase of 20 sq km of land on Vanua Levu, a Fijian island, in order to give its people somewhere to grow food or to escape to, should the country continue to be affected by rising sea levels. Read more.

5. Meat-based diets linked to significant carbon footprints

Jemma Collins: Meat-eaters’ diets have a much larger carbon footprint than vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian diets, a new study published in the journal Climatic Change has found. Read more.

6. Bill Gates: ‘miracles’ needed in clean energy sector

Jemma Collins: The world needs breakthroughs in clean energy that are “miraculous”, as current investments aren’t being made quick enough, according to the world’s richest man Bill Gates. Read more.

7. Government urged to uphold ban on bee-killing pesticides

Tom Revell: A coalition of campaigners have urged prime minister David Cameron to uphold a ban on bee-killing pesticides, as his cabinet decides whether to grant an emergency exemption for one of the controversial chemicals. Read more.

8. Deforestation in Indonesia worse than in Brazilian Amazon, says study

Ilaria Bertini: Indonesia cleared 840,000 hectares of forest in 2012 compared to 460,000 hectares in Brazil, with new research suggesting that the true size of deforestation and climate change impacts have been significantly under reported. Read more.

9. Climate change to ‘substantially’ impact on coffee production this decade

Charlotte Malone: Coffee cultivation could be significantly affected by the effects of climate change as soon as 2020, according to a new report. The warning comes amid estimates that coffee bean production must rise by almost 15% in the next five years to keep up with demand. Read more.

10. Barclays launches Green Bond Index to meet ‘growing demand’

Ilaria Bertini: Barclays and investment firm MSCI have announced the creation of a new tool to expand environmental, social and governance (ESG) fixed income benchmark index group, for investors looking for projects with environmental benefits. Read more.

Photo: bernadg via Flickr