Blue & Green Daily: Monday 12 May 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.

All consuming: the real problem is what we do

Crowdfunding could provide much needed turbo-boost to clean energy investment

Fair Tax Mark seeks £70,000 investment through community share offer

Wealth managers benefit from building long-lasting client relationships

Vulnerable families forced towards loan sharks, say council leaders

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12 May headlines

Power decarbonisation cost rises 22% to $44 trillion, IEA says

The costs of cutting carbon emissions from power generation enough to restrict global warming to safe levels is rising because growing coal use outweighs the progress in renewables, the International Energy Agency said. Investments of $44 trillion through 2050 are needed to decarbonise the energy sector. Bloomberg.

$1tn of new oil and gas projects ‘uneconomic’

More than $1 trillion of capital expenditure is earmarked for oil and gas projects that will ultimately reduce investor returns because they do not make economic sense even at today’s elevated price levels, according to the Carbon Tracker Initiative. The organisation said some projects are at risk from a lower oil price because of reduced demand caused by climate regulations. Financial Times.

Nigel Lawson’s climate-change denial charity ‘intimidated’ environmental expert

A think-tank that has become the UK’s most prominent source of climate-change denial is embroiled in a row about its charitable status. There are also claims that one of its trustees tried to exact “retribution” on the person who complained about it to the charities watchdog. The Global Warming Policy Foundation was accused of publishing “inaccurate and misleading” information about climate science last year. Independent.

Guy Hands: Ukraine crisis underline importance of UK renewable energy

City financier Guy Hands has warned that the Ukraine crisis has underlined the importance of the UK’s renewable energy sector, and attacks those wanting to phase out onshore wind subsidies. He argued that energy security cannot be achieved by markets alone and that the government needs to play a decisive role. Guardian.

First British shale gas ‘to fuel homes next year’

Shale gas could be fuelling British homes for the first time by late 2015, under plans from fracking firm Cuadrilla. The company is preparing to submit planning applications by the end of the month to frack at two sites in Lancashire next year. Chief executive of the firm Francis Egan suggested that homeowners hostile to fracking beneath their land should be entitled to only minimal compensation, if any. Telegraph.

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Interesting picks

Behind the rise of Boko Haram – ecological disaster, oil crisis, spy games – Guardian

Ukraine crisis begins to hit pension coffers – Pensions and Investments

The real choice that AstraZeneca faces – Financial Times

Why we couldn’t care less about the natural world – Guardian

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages