Steven Mufson

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering the business of climate change

Education: Yale University, BA in economics and political science

Steven Mufson covers the business of climate change for The Washington Post. Since joining The Post in 1989, he has covered economic policy, China, diplomacy, energy and the White House. He has also been an editor in the Outlook section. Earlier, he spent six years working for the Wall Street Journal in New York, London and Johannesburg. In 2020, he shared the Pulitzer Prize for a climate change series "2C: Beyond the Limit."
Latest from Steven Mufson

How the World Bank’s new boss is navigating a clash over climate change

Ajay Banga, born and raised in India, has ties to the developing world and corporate finance. Can he navigate the divide on climate change?

November 20, 2023
Ajay Banga, the new president of the World Bank, poses in his office at World Bank headquarters in D.C. on Nov. 7.

Emissions disclosure rules loom for government contractors and they're not happy

The Biden administration wants to use the government's purchasing power to force more carbon footprint reporting.

May 2, 2023
President Biden at the White House on Monday. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)

Biden’s push to disclose climate risks hits wall of industry resistance

Big business is bucking President Biden’s efforts to use SEC rules and the purchasing power of the U.S. government to reveal and reduce climate emissions.

May 2, 2023
President Biden speaks about his infrastructure package last year.

Fallout from Willow oil project lands hard on Harvard climate expert

Jody Freeman has served on the board of ConocoPhillips for 11 years. She’s made a “positive difference,” she said, but her detractors disagree.

April 22, 2023
ConocoPhillips pipelines near Nuiqsut, Alaska, in 2019.

    He wrote the book on crushing ‘wokeism.’ Now he’s running for president.

    Vivek Ramaswamy, a Trump ally running against Trump, made a fortune in biotech and skewers climate-concerned capitalism. So why is he eyeing the White House?

    April 3, 2023
    Vivek Ramaswamy attends a fundraising event in West Chester Township, Ohio.

    New list of EVs eligible for tax credits to be released next month

    Stricter qualification rules will apply as the Biden administration takes into account how and where the vehicles are built.

    March 31, 2023
    The Chevrolet Bolt EV qualifies for a federal tax credit under the current rules. A list of EVs that qualify under new rules will be published by the Internal Revenue Service on April 18.

    DOJ sues Norfolk Southern over toxic train derailment in Ohio

    The lawsuit could be costly to the railroad, seeking damages for a disaster that prompted evacuations in East Palestine, killed fish and prompted a huge cleanup.

    March 31, 2023
    This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, and was still on fire on Feb. 4.

    Why you may choose to lease — rather than buy — your next electric car

    Because of how the Inflation Reduction Act was written, confusion is rife on which EVs qualify for subsidies. A key Treasury Department decision comes this week.

    March 29, 2023
    The uncertain state of a tax credit eligibility program has complicated what the White House hoped would be a rapid transition to electric cars and trucks.

    Credit Suisse to borrow up to $53.7 billion from Swiss central bank

    The Swiss central bank signals that Credit Suisse is not in immediate peril, but its announcement adds uncertainty about global bank stability in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse

    March 15, 2023

    Arctic oil project was a conundrum for Biden. Will there be others?

    Although scaled back, the ConocoPhillips project known as Willow represents a major expansion of fossil fuel development in a sensitive part of Alaska.

    March 13, 2023
    Oil pipelines stretch across the landscape outside Nuiqsut, Alaska, where ConocoPhillips operates the Alpine Field, in May 2019.