Blue & Green Daily: Thursday 24 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.

‘Illustrate links’ between money and the real world to boost sustainable investment

Australian responsible investment funds outperforming the mainstream

London among cities facing pressure on water resources

Environmental groups and countries call for more ambitious energy saving target for EU

60% of Americans would support carbon tax, poll finds

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24 July headlines

EU regulators propose 30% energy savings target for 2030

EU regulators proposed a deeper energy efficiency target as they pair a fight against climate change with a push to reduce reliance on Russian suppliers amid the Ukraine crisis. EU nations should increase energy savings by 30% by 2030, compared with 20% targeted for the end of the current decade, the European Commission has proposed. Bloomberg.

Great Barrier Reef contaminated by toxic coal dust, inquiry told

Coal dust has spread throughout the Great Barrier Reef and exceeds toxic levels near the shore, a Senate inquiry has heard. Senators are touring Queensland this week to examine how the Australian and Queensland governments manage the reef, as Unesco threatens to list is as a World Heritage site in danger. A new reports shows coastal sediments offshore of the Hay Point coal port are contaminated with residues that exceed guidelines. Guardian.

Biomass report adds to debate on power station subsidies

Burning wood to generate electricity can produce as many of the carbon dioxide emissions responsible for climate change as a coal-fired power station, an energy department study has found. But the report also shows that under certain conditions it is possible to burn some types of wood waste in a way that produces fewer emissions than either a coal of gas power plant. Financial Times.

Conservationists call for Canary Islands whale sanctuary instead of oil scheme

Months before oil exploration is slated to begin in the Canary Islands, the World Wide Fund for Nature is calling on the Spanish government to abandon the search for oil and instead create a sanctuary for whales and dolphins in the region. The waters off the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are home to nearly a third of the world’s cetacean species. Guardian.

Antarctic fur seals feel climate impacts

Changes in the Antarctic climate are showing up in the fur seal population, say scientists. Three decades of data show the females of the species are being born smaller, and those that do survive to motherhood are breeding later in life. Subtle changes in their genetics are also being recoded. Researchers said that a shift in a dominant climate pattern has affected the supply of the seals’ primary food source – krill. BBC.

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Interesting picks

Not investing in new nuclear power would be a costly gamble for the UK – Guardian

Development banks good in crises, even better all other times – Financial Times

Climate change conference calls for an end to capitalism – City AM

What’s the beef with chicken? – Guardian

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages