Blue & Green Daily: Tuesday 24 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.

Smart cities don’t add complication, they allow society to thrive

Longitude Prize 2014: how can we fly without costing the Earth?

How sustainable investment has already changed the world

Wimbledon 2014: serving strawberries and sustainability

Finance directors of British universities to discuss fossil fuels divestment

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24 June headlines

Ministers warned of threat to green economy projects

The pot of money that ministers have set aside to subsidise UK renewable power is likely to run out much more quickly than previously thought, according to research, placing green energy projects in jeopardy. Analysis suggests the government has its forecasts wrong on wholesale electricity prices, the research says these will fall much quicker over the next few years than the government estimates. Guardian.

EU mulls cutting energy use by 35%

To maintain Europe’s emissions-cutting momentum, a 30% cut in energy usage is needed by 2030, rising to 35% if the EU wants to reap the benefits of energy security, jobs and growth, says a draft communication for the bloc’s energy efficiency review, seen by EurActiv. The target would be indicative until 2017 at least. Guardian.

UN: world’s forests fundamental to human well-being

A senior UN official has described the world’s forests as “fundamental” to human well-being and survival. Eva Mueller, director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Forestry Division, said trees provided a direct source of food, fuel and income. Commenting on the findings she added forests habitats were home to an estimated 80% of global diversity. BBC.

Welcome to the new warm normal: global temps break another record

The average temperature of Earth’s surface last month exceeded all other Mays before it, since recordkeeping began in 1880, according to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. The disturbing part isn’t that we have hit a new record, it’s that we live in a season of new records. Bloomberg.

UN rejects Australia’s ‘feeble’ bid to strip Tasmanian forest’s heritage status

Unesco has unanimously rejects a “feeble” Australian government bid to reopen 74,000 hectares of Tasmania’s world heritage area to logging. At its annual meeting the organisation said the Australian government had failed to provide compelling evidence that areas added to the site only last year were detracting from the overall value of the area. Guardian.

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Interesting picks

The rise of smart energy meters – Financial Times

Ethical investing turning point: will advisers rise to the challenge? – Professional Adviser

A business case for action on climate change – The Courier-Journal

Nation states are too small to fix global problems – Guardian

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages