Brazil's Green-Energy Industry Is Falling Victim to Its Own Success
In just a few months, Brazil will host the world's biggest climate summit. But as the country prepares to welcome thousands of dignitaries to debate plans to tackle global warming, its own wind and solar industries are flailing.
The casualties are piling up. 2W Ecobank SA, a wind energy producer, filed for bankruptcy protection in April. Rio Alto Energias Renovaveis SA, which constructs and operates solar energy projects, went to court to ask for temporary protection against creditors as it tries to restructure debt. Aeris, the biggest producer of blades for wind farms in Brazil, restructured its debt after more than 3,700 job cuts.
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Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
EU suspends anti-greenwashing legislation as far-right influence grows
PARIS (AP) — The European Union's leadership in the fight against climate change is under increasing pressure as far-right forces gain influence and threaten its flagship Green Deal, which legally mandates the bloc to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Following major losses for green parties in last year's European Parliament elections and a broader shift in voter sentiment away from environmental issues, the 27-nation bloc has been forced to recalibrate its environmental strategy. The latest sign of faltering ambitions came earlier this month, when the EU's executive arm suspended negotiations on a piece of legislation designed to tackle greenwashing, a technique used by companies to present a misleading image of ecological responsibility. Ahead of Thursday's summit of leaders in Brussels, the European Commission paused work on the so-called Green Claims Directive, which is intended to make environmental claims more reliable across the 27-nation bloc. The directive, first proposed in March 2023, would require companies to have environmental claims verified by independent third parties and regulate the use of eco-labels across the EU. The goal was to increase consumer trust and combat misleading marketing. But the Commission now says the current version of the legislation is too burdensome for small businesses. Paula Pinho, the Commission chief spokesperson, said the proposal would affect nearly 30 million micro-businesses — about 96% of all businesses in the EU — and warned the executive will withdraw the proposal altogether unless it is revised. The move is widely seen as the latest setback to the Green Deal, after farmers across Europe pushed back last year against strict nature and agricultural regulations tied to the bloc's plan to become climate-neutral by 2050. Unveiled in 2019, the Green Deal set out sweeping reforms across energy, transport, agriculture, buildings and industry during Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's first mandate. But growing public discontent and the rise of the far-right — both in member states and in the European Parliament — have taken a toll. The Commission has responded by softening some of its environmental goals. In a bid to calm farmer concerns, amplified by populist campaigns, the Commission shelved a proposal to reduce pesticide use and weakened the Nature Restoration Law, which had sought binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems. 'The priorities might shift even further, with a strong focus on the EU's competitiveness and clean industry that is currently taking precedence over environmental objectives,' researchers from the Stockholm Environment Institute, an international non-profit research center, said. The European Parliament and the Council — which represents EU member states — had adopted their respective positions on the Green Claims directive earlier this year. Final negotiations began in January 2025, but were halted last week when the Council canceled the closing round of talks. 'Today's victims are European consumers and companies that are truly sustainable,' said Tiemo Wölken, a member of the European Parliament and co-rapporteur of the measure. According to the European Commission, 53% of green claims are vague, misleading or unfounded, and 40% are not backed by evidence. Far-right influence The Commission's backpedaling drew sharp criticism from center and left-leaning lawmakers, who accused it of caving to pressure from the center-right European People's Party, the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists group, and the far-right Patriots for Europe. 'We've got the feeling that the Commission was taking instructions by three political groups,' said centrist MEP Sandro Gozi, the other co-rapporteur of the directive, adding that he was especially surprised by the move since Parliament negotiators had agreed to exclude micro-businesses from the law's scope. It remains unclear how the Commission's decision will affect von der Leyen's ability to pass future reforms if her EPP political family can no longer work with the Socialists and Liberals, who supported her in her first term. Laura Ballarín Cereza, a Socialist lawmaker, said the conservatives are now siding with the far-right, against 'pro-European parties' that previously backed von der Leyen. Valérie Hayer, chair of Renew, a liberal centrist group at the EU Parliament, said the EPP's request to withdraw the proposal was 'unacceptable,' and called the Commission's response disgraceful. 'Stopping negotiations and requesting a withdrawal in the middle of the process is an unprecedented institutional scandal,' she said. 'What is the value of a word once it has been given?'
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Robot cleans 32,000 square feet of beach per hour
Those people scanning the beach with metal detectors, hoping for a lucky find, might not be thrilled about what's next. While beaches are where we unwind, play, and connect with nature, they're also under constant threat from plastic pollution and human debris. That's where BeBot comes in. BeBot, an all-electric beach-cleaning robot developed in Italy by Niteko Robotics in partnership with 4ocean and Poralu Marine, is quietly transforming environmental technology. This innovative machine delivers a smarter, cleaner, and more sustainable way to keep our shorelines pristine, combining advanced robotics with eco-friendly design. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join. BeBot operates entirely on electric power, relying on batteries and, in some versions, solar panels. This approach ensures there are no emissions, so the robot does not contribute to greenhouse gases or other forms of pollution. Unlike traditional gas-powered beach-cleaning equipment such as tractors, BeBot is quiet and unobtrusive, which allows it to work at any time without disturbing wildlife or beach visitors. Its cleaning capacity is impressive. BeBot can cover up to 32,200 square feet of beach in a single hour, which is 20 to 30 times more effective than manual trash collection. The robot can remove up to 200 pounds of debris in one session, targeting items like plastic bottles, cigarette butts, food packaging, and cotton buds. BeBot's design allows it to dig up to about four inches into the sand, and its sifting grids, which measure roughly half an inch by half an inch, capture even the smallest pieces of plastic and trash that would be difficult for people to collect by hand. Remote operation is another standout feature. BeBot can be controlled from up to 950 feet away, giving operators the flexibility to clean large or crowded beaches safely. Its unique track system distributes pressure evenly across the sand, which helps prevent beach erosion and protects sensitive habitats such as turtle nesting sites. The robot's battery can last up to three hours on a full charge, and some models can run for as long as eight hours. BeBot is not limited to trash collection. Its modular design supports a variety of attachments, allowing it to rake seaweed and algae, level sand, and carry heavy loads such as beach chairs, umbrellas, or even jet skis. With the sifter removed, BeBot can transport up to 900 pounds, making it a valuable tool for both public and private beaches, nature reserves, golf courses, and other sandy environments. BeBot has already demonstrated its effectiveness in places like Lake Tahoe, where Eco-Clean Solutions deployed it to clean over one million square feet of shoreline across twenty beaches. Videos of BeBot in action show the robot digging up all kinds of debris, including flip-flops and cigarette filters. The robot has also been used on beaches in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, and North Carolina. In each location, BeBot has received praise for its ability to remove hard-to-spot debris and for raising public awareness about the dangers of microplastics. BeBot is making a difference by protecting wildlife and ecosystems. Plastic pollution is not just unsightly; it is deadly for marine life. Millions of tons of plastic enter the oceans each year, harming hundreds of species, including nearly half of all marine animals. BeBot's gentle cleaning process reduces these threats without disturbing sensitive habitats or compressing turtle eggs. Cleaner beaches lead to healthier ecosystems and better experiences for visitors. Because BeBot operates quietly and efficiently, it is ideal for popular tourist destinations where traditional machinery would be disruptive or damaging. The robot also sparks important conversations about pollution and inspires communities to take action, complementing human-led cleanups by targeting the small plastics that often go unnoticed. This little robot is making a big difference, showing us that you do not need massive machines to tackle massive problems. With help from organizations like 4ocean and Poralu Marine, BeBot is changing the game for beach cleanups and setting a new bar for what we can expect from eco-friendly tech. So, the next time you are strolling along the shore, keep an eye out for BeBot quietly doing its thing, helping to create cleaner beaches and a healthier future for everyone. What are your thoughts on using advanced technology like BeBot to tackle environmental challenges on our beaches? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Follow Kurt on his social channels Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
TechCrunch
2 hours ago
- TechCrunch
How one biotech startup is betting on cows and winning over investors
Cow burps are a climate problem, and one startup wants to reprogram them. Livestock are a major source of methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. While plenty of startups are trying to tackle the issue with seaweed feed, synthetic additives, or carbon offsets, one biotech founder is taking a more fundamental approach: changing what happens inside the cow's gut. Hoofprint Biome is using enzymes to rewire the cow's microbiome from the inside out, cutting methane production and improving feed efficiency along the way. The company just raised a $15 million Series A round from investors including Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, and they're just getting started. Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Tim De Chant sat down with Kathryn Polkoff, co-founder and CEO of Hoofprint Biome, to talk through it all. Listen to the full episode to hear about: How enzymes and AI are helping fight climate change (seriously). What it takes to raise money for biotech in a sea of SaaS. Why thinking like a farmer, rather than a climate scientist, was Polkoff's superpower. As she put it, 'That'd be like if you were engineering a car but had never changed the engine — that's where all the energy comes from.' The future of methane reduction and feed efficiency at scale. Equity will be back Friday with our weekly news roundup, so stay tuned. Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here.
