Blue & Green Daily: Wednesday 23 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.

Crowdfunding – it’s not all about the money

War on the high street: Lush’s battle against environmental destruction

North West could see 300 fracking wells open by 2031

Government commits to fourth carbon budget in boost for renewable energy investors

Replacing oil and coal with shale gas will not cut greenhouse gas emissions, study finds

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21 July headlines

Dispute over ‘bonkers’ EU energy savings plan

EU commissioners are meeting today to agree an energy savings target for 2030 amid serious disagreement about how ambitious it should be. Several countries, anxious over the security of their Russian gas supplies, are pushing for a tough, binging goal. But EU officials are reluctant to agree because they fear it might damage the overall energy and climate package. BBC.

UK retains target to cut carbon emissions in half

The UK will keep a target to cut greenhouse gases by half through 2025, energy secretary Ed Davey said, foiling the Treasury’s effort to weaken the target. Revising the so-called carbon budget would be premature, given the government’s estimate of the UK and EU levels of ambition of carbon cutting “are likely to be extremely close”, Davey said. Bloomberg.

Government fuel poverty strategy ‘meaningless’ and ‘inadequate’

Government plans to tackle fuel poverty are “inadequate” and “meaningless”, campaigners have warned, after ministers unveiled new targets for insulating homes. About one in ten households in England is classified as “fuel poor”- on low incomes with high energy costs – and the number is projected to have risen this year to an estimated 2.33 million. Telegraph.

Great Barrier Reef’s decline buried in government reports, says agency

Australia’s marine research agency has warned that the government has downplayed the declining health of the Great Barrier Reef and there is “clear potential for conflict of interest” in development decisions. The Australian Institute of Marine Science said assessments of the Great Barrier Reef’s condition effectively buried the bad news of the reef’s decline. Guardian.

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Interesting picks

Putting European food law back on the political menu – Guardian

Climate change wins precarious slot in proposed development goals – Thomson Reuters

An ethical investing portfolio – Intelligent Investor

Climate models accurately predicted global warming when reflecting natural ocean cycles – Guardian

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages