Blue & Green Daily: Tuesday 17 June 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.

Alternative Wall Street Journal: the financial advantage of socially responsible investing

Breaking the eight myths of sustainable and responsible investment

‘Saints’ reap better returns than ‘sinners’ in new sustainable investment analysis

Alcohol producers accused of funding charities to gain influence

Obama: we need to invest in fighting climate change

——————————————————————————————————————————————

17 June headlines

Europe faces gas shortage as Russia cuts Ukraine supply after talks fail

Europe is facing gas supply disruptions after Ukraine failed to broker an 11th-hour deal with Russia in a feud that has stoked the worst east-west crisis since the cold war. Ukraine hosted the last-gasp talks hoping to keep an energy shortage from compounding the new pre-western leaders’ problems. Telegraph.

Winter floods: MPs criticise funding priorities

The government got its funding priorities wrong on river maintenance before last winter’s floods, say MPs. Members of the all-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee said keeping waterways clear had been a “Cinderella” activity. They added that funding levels for maintenance remain at a “bare minimum” and more money must be found for dredging. BBC.

Long years of oil price stability are at risk, BP’s top economist warns

Escalating violence in Iraq threatens to unleash an oil price spike that would put an end to the greatest period of price stability for nearly half a century, BP’s chief economist has warned. The unusually high level of disruption to global oil production since the Arab Spring began in 2011 has been matched by the US fracking boom, keeping prices stable. Independent.

Obama to order ocean protections with executive powers, Kerry says

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, says saving the world’s oceans was a vitals security issue, and has urged leaders at an international summit to take immediate action on overfishing and pollution. He argues that humans had caused “enormous damage” to the oceans, jeopardising the food security of three billion people on the planet. Guardian.

Ponds ‘predicts Arctic sea-ice melt’

A UK team believes it can now make skilful predictions of how much sea ice will melt during Arctic summers. The scientists say the amount of water ponding on top of the floes as they warm in the spring has been shown to be an excellent indicator. BBC.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Interesting picks

Saving the world should be based on promise, not fear – Guardian

The divestment debate – Harvard Magazine

Iraq blowback: Isis rise manufactured by insatiable oil addiction – Guardian

Barclays Just Threw Gasoline on the Fire that is the Battle Between Utilities and the Solar Industry – Energy Collective

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages