Blue & Green Daily: Thursday 16 January 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.

One day soon, we hope all investment will be sustainable, responsible and ethical – before it is too late

Air travel more fuel efficient than driving

UN climate chief: clean energy needs investment worth $1tn a year

Danish investors commit £130m to climate fund for emerging economies

Aiming for tar sands oil is greedy and destructive, Neil Young tells Canadian PM

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January 16 headlines

Global investment in clean energy falls for second year running

Global investment in clean energy fell for the second year in a row to $254bn in 2013, new figures show. European investment fell by 41%, partly as a result of declining costs for solar panels and big economies, such as Germany, Italy and France, scaling back government support for new projects. Guardian.

Energy giants’ claims that 5pc is a ‘fair’ profit margin challenged by City analyst

Leading analyst says it is “not clear” why energy giants are claiming that 5-6% is the right retail energy profit margin. He added that comparable sectors have a lower margin of around 2-4%. Labour has said the figures are evidence of “overcharging”. Telegraph.

Shale gas could meet 6pc of European demand by 2035, BP predicts

Shale gas will remain only a “very marginal” contributor to Europe’s energy mix, oil giant BP has predicted. Instead the continent will become even more dependent on gas imports, with levels increasing to 84% by 2035, compared to the 66% today. Telegraph.

Labour promise to limit high street banks is flawed, says Bank of England governor Mark Carney

Last week Ed Miliband said that a Labour government would consider capping the size of British retail banks. The plans would force large retail banks to sell off branches. However, the Bank of England governor said a cap would not result in “substantial improvement to competition”. Independent.

First Commons debate on HS2 bill set to be delayed

MPs are unlikely to hold their first debate on legislation authorising HS2 for another two months because of problems with the consultation process. BBC.

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Interesting picks

A roadmap for energy efficient neighbourhoods – Green Futures

What if man-made climate change is loading the dice on flood in the UK? – Telegraph

The Wolf of Wall Street: ‘Not sure if view of bankers can sink any lower’ – Guardian

Taking a Moral Stand in the Investing World – Wall Street Journal

Nobel scientist willing to bet on global warming – Australian