World Seeks an End to Plastic Pollution at Talks in South Korea

Many nations hope to reduce the half a billion tons of plastic made each year. But pushback from plastic and oil producers, and Donald Trump’s election, could scuttle an agreement.

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Taxing Farm Animals’ Farts and Burps? Denmark Gives It a Try.

Cows and pigs produce a large share of planet-warming methane. A new tax is part of a plan to clean that up.

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Inside the Plastic Industry’s Battle to Win Over Hearts and Minds

Documents leaked from an industry group show how plastics companies are pushing back against a “tide of anti-plastic sentiment.”

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Evelyne de Pontbriand, Champion of Biodynamic Winemaking, Dies at 73

The latest in a long line of women to run her family winery, she helped bring worldwide attention to sustainable viniculture.

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Trial of Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug Halted After Disappointing Results

Cassava Sciences said that its drug did not significantly reduce cognitive decline in 1,900 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

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Rivian to Get $6 Billion Federal Loan for EV Factory

The financing for a factory in Georgia is part of a last-minute effort to establish climate policies before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office.

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Margrethe Vestager, the World’s Top Tech Cop, Is Making Her Exit

Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s antitrust regulator, who put technology’s harms on the global agenda, reflected on a decade of taking on the biggest companies and what comes next.

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China’s Police Are Preying on Small Firms in Search of Cash

With localities facing budget holes, the police are crossing provincial borders to collect fines and draining company treasuries. Businesses call it a shakedown.

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Rocket Engine Fire Stalls Japan’s Ambitions to Launch Satellites

Japan is off to a shaky start in its efforts to break into the space rocket market dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

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Hummingbirds’ Flight Offers Clues to Improve Drones

Scientists study the flight of hummingbirds to design robots for drone warfare.

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