Blue & Green Daily: Thursday 14 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.

Ethical Corporation’s Responsible Business Awards: Q&A with Western Union

Campaigners warn UK government over trade deal that could see more Philip Morris style cases

£200m fund to develop brownfield sites will protect countryside, says MP

Socially responsible fund to be listed by platforms and product providers

Government survey finds support for fracking has fallen 24%

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14 August headlines

Fracking’s impact on wildlife remains unknown, study finds

A decade into North America’s fracking boom, the impact on wildlife and the environment remains largely unknown, according to a new study. Although the technique of hydraulic fracturing shale has been used for at least 20 years, there is “surprisingly little research” on impacts, according to the paper from an ecologist at the University of Wisconsin. Guardian.

Antarctic melt may lift sea level faster in threat to megacities

Antarctica glaciers melting because of global warming may push up sea levels faster than previously believed, potentially threatening megacities including New York and Shanghai, researchers in Germany have said. Antarctica’s ice discharge may raise sea levels by as much as 37cm this century as the output of greenhouses gases continues to grow, the study says. Bloomberg.

E-on? profit down as clean energy squeezes power price

E-on posted a 20% fall in profit on Wednesday as the expansion of renewable energy in its home market squeezed wholesale power prices. Germany’s biggest utility by market value reported that underlying net income fell from €1.9 billion in the first half of 2013 to €1.5 billion over the same period this year. Financial Times.

Coal’s reign ebbing in UK may delay new plants, Baringa says

Natural gas’s return as a profitable competitor for coal in UK power generation may case utilities to hesitate in their choice of fuel and delay investment in new plants, according to energy consultants Baringa Partners LLP. The profit difference between burning coal instead of gas has shrunk to the smallest since 2011, a situation that may hinder plant investment for the next three years. Bloomberg.

Wind and solar firms in power play over land

Wind and solar companies are normally allies in the hunt for subsidies but the rewards are now so great that they are fighting each other for control of a former wartime airfield. Seagreen, which is planning a £3 billion wind farm off the east coast of Scotland, is opposing an application for the country’s first large solar farm. The Times.

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Interesting picks

Global warming is moistening the atmosphere – Guardian

How to talk about climate change so people will listen – The Atlantic

Britain need ‘Chinese’ approach to climate change – politics.co.uk

Five trends that show corporate responsibility is here to stay – Guardian

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages