business

The world’s largest and most influential development bank said on Wednesday it would lift its longstanding ban on funding nuclear power projects. The decision by the board of the World Bank could have profound implications for the ability of developing countries to industrialize without burning planet-warming fuels such as coal and oil. The ban has … Read more

Michael Boren, founder of a billion-dollar tech company, Idaho ranch owner and Trump donor, has clashed with the U.S. Forest Service for years. He was accused of flying a helicopter dangerously close to a crew building a Forest Service trail, prompting officials to seek a restraining order. He got a caution from the Forest Service, … Read more

Who could argue with setting a “gold standard” for science? Actually, thousands of scientists from around the country. President Trump has ordered what he called a restoration of a “gold standard science” across federal agencies and national laboratories. But the May 23 executive order puts his political appointees in charge of vetting scientific research and … Read more

The cost of electricity is rising across the country, forcing Americans to pay more on their monthly bills and squeezing manufacturers and small businesses that rely on cheap power. And some of President Trump’s policies risk making things worse, despite his promises to slash energy prices, companies and researchers say. This week, the Senate is … Read more

Look down from a plane at farms in the Great Plains and the West and you’ll see green circles dotting the countryside, a kind of agricultural pointillism. They’re from center-pivot irrigation systems. But some farmers are finding older versions, many built 10, 15 or even 20 years ago, aren’t keeping up with today’s hotter reality, … Read more

Wildlife managers in Africa tend to take a big-stick approach to combating poaching. Vast sums have been poured into militarized ranger patrols, advanced surveillance technologies, sniffer dogs and helicopters. Many of those efforts are aimed at protecting rhinos, whose horns are still in demand in China and Vietnam. For all the resources invested in rhinos, … Read more

The Trump administration on Friday greenlighted the expansion of a scandal-hit underground coal mine in Montana, one of the nation’s largest, cutting short a federal environmental review and putting into action a key element of President Trump’s plan to revive America’s coal industry. In the past, the mine has been embroiled in allegations involving bribery, … Read more

After the Blob dissipated, researchers learned that the effects of a severe marine heat wave could endure long after the event itself has passed. Ted Cheeseman, a Ph.D. candidate at Southern Cross University, had co-founded Happywhale, a database of tens of thousands of marine mammals built on photos submitted by researchers and whale watchers around … Read more