Blue & Green Daily: Thursday 30 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.

Sustainability is hard – but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good thing

Maintaining our flood defences: the policy remains to cut now, pay later

Obama: climate change is a fact and we need to act now

Green bond investment forecasted to double in 2014

Survey: public support for fracking weakening

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30 January headlines

UK should have 10 million homes with solar panels by 2020, experts say

Ten million homes in the UK should have their roofs covered with solar panels in the next six years, if the country is to fulfil its renewable energy potential, energy experts have said. This number would allow the UK to produce around 6% of its annual electricity needs from solar panels. Guardian.

Energy price gap with the US to hurt Europe for ‘at least 20 years’

High gas and electricity prices will continue to plague Europe for at least 20 years, damaging the competitiveness of industries, the world’s leading energy forecaster has warned. The International Energy Agency said Europe will lose a third of its global market share of energy-intensive exports over the next two years. Financial Times.

Banks’ riskier trading activities to be curbed, EU proposes

Proposals to isolate some of the riskier trading activities by the banking sector have been unveiled by the European Commission. Proprietary trading would be banned and measures introduced to ring-fence retail from investment decisions. BBC.

Troops sent in to flood-hit Somerset amid fears of new storm

The government has agreed to send the Army to Somerset as ministers launch a late attempt to relieve stricken villages left devastated by floods amid fears of a further storm on Friday. Pressure has been mounting on the environment secretary as his handling of the crisis has been criticised. Telegraph.

Pesticides halve bees’ pollen gathering ability, research shows

Bumblebees exposed to controversial pesticides collect just half the pollen they would otherwise harvest, according to new research. The study has led to calls for a permanent EU ban on neonicotinoid toxins. Guardian.

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Interesting picks

How do you stop flooding? – BBC

Do banks have a duty to keep branches open? – Telegraph

The big investment lesions of the last few years – Money Web

State of the Union scorecard: Guardian reporters grade Obama’s speech – Guardian

Iceland food bin theft case dropped by CPS – BBC