Blue & Green Daily: Wednesday 7 May 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.

The nature of investing

ArBolivia: a co-operative investment in the Amazon rainforest

What is Sustainable September?

‘Freedom to frack’ on private land opposed by three quarters of Britons

Islamic banking is for all, says Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank CEO

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7 May headlines

Lord Myners: Co-op must reform ‘soon’ or face break-up

The Co-op Group has been told that unless it undertake radical reforms “very soon” or risks heading down a road that could end with the complete dismantlement of Britain’s largest mutual into a charitable foundation that would be worth ”a lot less” than members thinks. Lord Myners said the Co-op could not continue with its “deplorable governance failures”. Telegraph.

America’s wake-up call: ‘Climate change, once seen as issue for the future, has moved into present’

The malign impact of man-made climate change is already being felt by the United States, according to a sobering new report by the Obama administration. The National Climate Assessment calls for an urgent curb on man-made emissions to tackle worsening heat waves, wildfires, torrential rains and other extreme weather events. The report lays out the everyday consequences of climate change. Independent.

Hinkley Point nuclear power contract ‘may be invalid’

The contract for building the UK’s first nuclear power station in a generation might not be “valid”, a leading legal academic has warned. According to former Liberal Democrat MP David Howarth, who now lectures at Cambridge, the deal could be seen as an “unjustifiable subsidy” under EU law. The contract fixes a price for energy provided f the scheme goes ahead. BBC.

Drones striking a high-tech blow for conservation and the environment

The use of drones has generally been synonymous with controversial globalised warfare, but falling costs and higher performance are now making them increasingly useful for conservation and environmental organisations. A non-profit organisation is now working to make drone more affordable to environmental groups and conservation scientists, which has been described as a “game changer”. Guardian.

Stanford endowment votes to sell coal mining shares

Stanford University is selling the shares in coal mining companies held by its $18.7 billion endowment fund, becoming the largest US institution to join the growing number of colleges divesting from fossil fuels because of concerns about climate change. The decision follows a campaign by students and a review by its advisory panel on investment responsibility. Financial Times.

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Interesting picks

Climate change affects us all. So what’s stopping us joining forces to act on it? – Guardian

Essay: How independence can impact climate change – Scotsman

Why benefits professional need to consider corporate social responsibility – Employee Benefits

People first: green goals should not override ending hunger – Guardian

Photo: Sanja gjenero via Freeimages