Blue & Green Daily: Tuesday 8 April 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.

World Health Day: fossil fuels, pollution and human health

Building a sustainable global economy

Draft UN report: investment in renewable energy must rise drastically

Growing appetite for green investment in low-income countries

Energy customer complaints triple in a year

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8 April headlines

World’s most polluting country leads in clean-energy investment

China is the world leader in clean energy investment for the second year running. The country invested $54 billion in renewables in 2013, well above the total US investment of $36.7 billion, according to an annual Pew Charitable Trusts report. Overall worldwide renewable investment declined by 11% from 2012 and 20% from 2011. Bloomberg.

Good Energy profits rise sharply as dissatisfied big six customers switch

Renewable energy supplier Good Energy says customer numbers rose 32% in 2013, helping it more than double pre-tax profits to £3.3 million. The company remains a minnow in comparison with the big six, which control 95% of the UK’s energy market, but has been boosted by record numbers of customers switching as the government bids to break the stranglehold of the largest firms. Guardian.

Gas chief Andrew Austin: fracking in East Midlands could provide ‘big prize’

A British energy firms says up to 10% of the UK’s gas supply for the next decade could come from shale gas produced in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. IGas, which already produces conventional oil and gas in the region, said it hoped to see up to 15 fracking sites in use over the period. BBC.

Barclays settle Libor ‘test case’ weeks ahead of trial

Barclays has avoided an embarrassing High Court trial over claims its senior executives were aware of attempts to rig Libor after reaching a multi-million pound settlement with a care home over the alleged mis-sale of interest rate derivatives. Barclays has agreed a settlement with Guardian Care Homes worth about £40 million to avoid a trail later this month. Telegraph.

BP faces shareholder pressure over Russian stake amid Crimea standoff

BP is expected to come under pressure at its annual meeting this week to explain how its decision to take a 20% stake in Russia’s biggest oil company, Rosneft, will be affected by the country’s standoff with the west over Crimea. According to an independent analyst, there is a risk that the Russian president could expropriate assets from western companies, including BP. Guardian.

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Interesting picks

World Bank: Man on a mission – Financial Times

Leaked IPCC plan to worsen global warming – ecologists – Guardian

Sustainable, responsible investing can be profitable, here’s how – Forbes

Call climate change what it is: violence – Guardian

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages