Economy & Business

"Desperate towns have turned to private equity firms to manage their waterworks. The deals bring much-needed upgrades, but can carry hefty price tags."

"It seems increasingly likely that the Trump administration would either alter, or attempt to stop using entirely, an Obama-era metric known as the 'social cost of carbon' in its federal rule-making processes. And that could have have major effects on the way environmental policies are written (or unwritten) in the coming years."

"A prominent medical journal on Monday published a scathing attack on global health advice to eat less sugar. Warnings to cut sugar, the study argued, are based on weak evidence and cannot be trusted. But the review, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, quickly elicited sharp criticism from public health experts because the authors have ties to the food and sugar industries."

"The Canadian government has agreed a deal with eight of the country’s 10 provinces to introduce its first national carbon price, Justin Trudeau has told reporters."

The next farm bill will be the first in a long time put together entirely by a Republican government. How will big agribusiness and ordinary food consumers fare?

"Solar power is becoming the cheapest way to generate electricity, according to leading analysts."

"A coalition of the world’s most powerful bankers, regulators and even executives at some heavy polluters have a message for oil and gas companies: Be more forthcoming about the risks posed by climate change."

"Around the world, plant breeders are resisting what they see as corporate control of the food supply by making seeds available for other breeders to use."