Blue & Green Daily: Monday 7 July 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.

Buy one, give one free: the rise of philanthropic business

Fracking could pose risk to almost half of UK’s drinking water – study

A green Tour de France? Carbon Trust to measure environmental impact

Energy efficiency measures fall by 60% ‘due to government policy’

Glasgow ‘breaks promise’ of tackling air pollution at Commonwealth Games

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7 July headlines

Insurers to cover withdrawal of solar and wind subsidies

Insurers are developing plans to protect investors in solar and wind power projects against the sudden withdrawal of crucial state subsidies that have battered that European renewable energy industry. Willis, the world’s third largest insurance brokers, it in advanced discussions with insurers to put together such a policy and hopes to begin offering it next year. Financial Times.

World Bank email leaks reveal internal row over ‘light touch’ $50bn loans

Environmentalists and human rights campaigners have sounded the alarm at radical plans to ease conditions for World Bank loans, enabling more than $50 billion (£29 billion) of public money a year to be made available for large power, mining, transport and farming projects. Leaked emails reveal that senior figures at the bank feared that light-touch regulation would lead to an increase in “problem projects”. Guardian.

Dashwood: Fracking company makes friends with £17,000 rugby deal

With 5,000 residents “strongly opposed” to its plans to carry out fracking at multiple sites on Lancashire’s Flyde coast, Cuadrilla could do with some friends. It’s certainly making progress. The shale gas explorer, which has already donated £10,000 to refurbish the bar at a local theatre, is poised to announce a £19,000 sponsorship deal with Flyde Rugby Club. Telegraph.

Green Deal complaints lead to Tivium refunds

People who said they were let down by a firm offering services under a government energy saving scheme are to get refunds after a BBC investigation. Gateshead-based Tivium Limited charges up to £299 to assess homes for improvements, including new boilers, as part of the government’s Green Deal. However, there have been delays. BBC.

The era of the traditional bank branch is dead, says BBA

The head of the group, which represents Britain’s biggest banks, has called time on the traditional high street branch in the wake of the continued rise of online banking. In a landmark series of comments, Anthony Browne, chief executive of the British Bankers Association, has admitted “branch numbers will continue to fall”. Telegraph.

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Interesting picks

Everyone contributes to climate change: IPCC – Bloomberg

Growth is good but only if it makes life better for everyone – Guardian

BBC has lost is balance over climate change – The Times

Can energy policy be rescue? – can the UK accept that current policy is failing and come up with something better – Financial Times

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages