Blue & Green Daily: Friday 15 August 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.

High energy prices built into confused market – reducing consumption is essential

‘Big six’ pushed out of best buy tables by smaller companies

Melting Antarctica poses risk to coastal megacities

Australian environment minister admits climate change threat Great Barrier Reef

FTSE 100 double charitable donations since recession

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15 August headlines

Green energy co-ops blocked by government regulator

The future of community-owned green energy projects that ministers say are crucial to break the dominance of the ‘big six’ is being out at risk by the Financial Services Authority, according to co-operative and the Labour party. In the past six weeks the regulator has blocked several new energy co-op applications on the grounds they would not have enough member participation. Guardian.

Glacier melting linked more closely with fossil fuel burn

The human contribution to melting glaciers is quickening and now accounts for more than two-thirds of ice lost worldwide, researchers said. Warming due to greenhouse-gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and destroying forests accounted for about 69% of the melt from glaciers in the two decades through 2010, scientists at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. Bloomberg.

SeaWorld shares tumble 33% following Blackfish documentary

Shares in the amusement park SeaWorld fell 33% after a 6-7% decline in the company’s revenues was forecast – with falling attendances driven in part by the negative publicity surrounding the documentary film Blackfish. The film follows Tilikum, an orca kept in captivity by the amusement park’s Florida outpost, who would perform in acrobatic displays for visitors. Guardian.

Cuadrilla fracking protest camp set up in Little Plumpton

Anti-fracking campaigners have set up a protest camp on a field near a proposed drilling site in Lancashire. About 100 members of Reclaim the Power are on the site in Little Plumpton near Blackpool to “support community resistance to fracking”. Cuadrilla has applied to the county council to hydraulically fracture for shale gas at the Preston New Road site and also at its Roseacre site. BBC.

G4S under fire for taking £70m contract to service Guantanamo Bay

The British security company G4S has been condemned after winning a £70 million contract to service America’s Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, which contains the notorious prison for terrorism suspects. As part of the contract the world’s largest security firm is to provide janitorial services to the Cuban prison, which currently houses 149 inmates who have not been charged with any offence. Independent.

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Interesting picks

A little touch of climate change despair – Huffington Post

Project survival: How Pacific island youth are facing down climate change – Responding to Climate Change

Grow but cherish your environment – The Economist

Fracking threatens tremors in general election – BBC

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages