Articles tagged with "environmental-sustainability"
Instacrops will demo its water-saving, crop-boosting AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
Instacrops, a Chile-based startup founded by Mario Bustamante, is leveraging AI to address the critical issue of water scarcity in agriculture, particularly in water-stressed regions like Chile and India where agriculture consumes over 90% of water resources. The company helps around 260 farms reduce water usage by up to 30% while boosting crop yields by as much as 20%. By shifting from hardware to AI-driven solutions, Instacrops now processes approximately 15 million data points per hour, significantly increasing efficiency and impact with fewer staff. Their technology integrates IoT sensors or existing farm networks to collect data on over 80 parameters—including soil moisture, humidity, temperature, and satellite-derived plant productivity metrics (NDVI)—to provide precise irrigation advisories directly to farmers via mobile apps and WhatsApp. Instacrops focuses on high-value crops in Latin America such as apples, avocados, blueberries, almonds, and cherries. The startup offers its services through an annual fee per hectare, enabling farmers
IoTagriculture-technologyAIwater-conservationsmart-farmingcrop-yield-optimizationenvironmental-sustainabilityCar-sized hydrogen spy airship to debut in NATO’s largest drone drill
Finnish company Kelluu has developed a car-sized, hydrogen-powered autonomous airship designed for long-duration surveillance missions. Measuring about 12 meters (40 feet) long, the airship uses hydrogen for both lift and fuel, enabling it to stay aloft for over 12 hours—significantly longer than conventional drones or helicopters. Its emissions are reduced by 99.5% compared to standard aerial platforms, making it an environmentally friendly option. The airship features a patented hydrogen-safe structure, operates quietly, and is capable of functioning in harsh conditions, including Arctic environments. It can carry payloads up to 6 kilograms, supporting multi-sensor configurations such as LiDAR, spectral cameras, and thermal imagers, enabling applications like forestry health monitoring, infrastructure inspections, agricultural mapping, and security patrols. Initially aimed at civilian markets, Kelluu’s airship has attracted defense interest and will participate in NATO’s REPMUS 25 exercise in Portugal, demonstrating its potential for intelligence, surveillance
hydrogen-energyautonomous-airshipdrone-technologyenvironmental-sustainabilitysurveillance-technologyIoT-sensorsdefense-technologyHungry Worms Could Help Solve Plastic Pollution
The article discusses the potential of wax moth larvae, known as wax worms, to help address plastic pollution by breaking down polyethylene, the most widely produced and environmentally persistent plastic. Discovered by European researchers in 2017, wax worms naturally consume polyethylene due to its chemical similarity to beeswax, their traditional food source. Studies led by Dr. Bryan Cassone at Brandon University revealed that around 2,000 wax worms can degrade an entire polyethylene bag in 24 hours, with their gut bacteria playing a crucial role in this process. The bacteria, including a resilient strain of Acinetobacter, metabolize polyethylene into glycol and convert it into lipids stored in the worms’ bodies. However, a diet solely consisting of polyethylene is not sustainable for wax worms, as they lose weight and die within days without additional nutrients. Researchers suggest that supplementing their diet with feeding stimulants could enhance their survival and plastic degradation efficiency. Moving forward, two main strategies are proposed: mass-producing wax worms with nutritional support to
materialsplastic-biodegradationpolyethylenewax-wormsgut-bacteriaenvironmental-sustainabilitybioremediationHow one AI startup is helping rice farmers battle climate change
Mitti, a New York-based AI startup, is addressing climate change by helping rice farmers reduce methane emissions—a potent greenhouse gas generated in flooded rice paddies. The company uses AI-powered models that analyze satellite imagery and radar data to measure methane release from rice fields, enabling scalable monitoring without costly physical equipment. Mitti partners with nonprofits like the Nature Conservancy to train hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in India on regenerative, no-burn agricultural practices that lower methane emissions. These partnerships extend Mitti’s reach and allow it to verify and report on climate-friendly farming efforts on the ground. Mitti’s technology also supports a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, offering measurement, reporting, and verification tools to third parties working with rice farmers to reduce emissions. The methane reduction projects generate carbon credits, which Mitti helps track and sell, sharing most of the revenue with farmers and their communities. This additional income can improve farmers’ profitability by about 15%, a significant boost for small
AIagriculture-technologymethane-reductionclimate-changecarbon-creditssoftware-as-a-serviceenvironmental-sustainabilityIt's Time To Divest From Plastic — Ceramics Are One Viable Alternative - CleanTechnica
The article discusses the ongoing global efforts to address the plastic pollution crisis through a landmark United Nations treaty, with negotiations taking place in Geneva and set to conclude by August 2025. Despite broad international recognition of plastic pollution's harmful effects—including cancer, hormone disruption, and environmental contamination—progress is hindered by opposition from major plastic-producing countries like Saudi Arabia and the United States. While 175 nations agreed in 2022 to create a legally binding treaty targeting the entire plastic lifecycle, disagreements remain over production limits and chemical additives. Greenpeace advocates for a 75% reduction in plastic production by 2040, emphasizing that recycling alone is insufficient to solve the problem. Amid these challenges, the article highlights innovative alternatives to plastic, focusing on GaeaStar, a company producing ceramic cups as a sustainable substitute for single-use plastic drinkware. Made from natural materials like clay, salt, and water, these cups are reusable, inert, and free from harmful chemical leaching. GaeaStar’s products combine
materialsplastic-alternativesceramicsenvironmental-sustainabilityplastic-pollutionrecyclingsustainable-materialsMicrosoft is buying tons of carbon removal from Xprize startup Vaulted Deep
Microsoft is accelerating its efforts to meet its 2030 carbon-negative pledge by purchasing large volumes of carbon removal credits, including a recent deal to acquire 4.9 million metric tons of carbon removal from Vaulted Deep, a startup specializing in underground carbon sequestration. Vaulted Deep collects solid waste materials such as treated sewage, manure, and paper sludge, converts them into a slurry, and injects this mixture into porous underground rock formations using fracking-derived technology. This 12-year agreement, running through 2028, represents a significant step in Microsoft's strategy to offset its growing emissions, which have increased by nearly 25% since 2020 due to rapid data center expansion. Despite heavy investments in renewable energy, Microsoft faces challenges in eliminating emissions from essential operations like semiconductor manufacturing, which currently lack zero-greenhouse-gas alternatives. In 2024, the company reported 14.9 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, more than double its target for 2030. To bridge this
energycarbon-removalclimate-technologyrenewable-energycarbon-emissionsenvironmental-sustainabilitycarbon-captureBeef Is The Highest Carbon Food? - CleanTechnica
The article from CleanTechnica addresses the misconception that individual actions to reduce carbon footprints are insignificant compared to emissions from fossil fuel corporations. It emphasizes that with a global population of about 8 billion people—expected to grow by 1.4 billion in 20 years—collective individual behaviors, including the use of fossil fuel products and food choices, significantly impact climate change. Among various foods, beef has the highest carbon footprint, largely due to the methane emissions from cattle digestion and manure, nitrous oxide release, and the extensive land use changes required for cattle grazing and feed production. Cattle farming contributes to environmental degradation beyond greenhouse gas emissions. Large-scale cattle operations lead to deforestation, particularly in South America’s Amazon region, where cattle ranching accounts for 80% of deforestation. This deforestation releases stored carbon and destroys wild habitats. Additionally, runoff from cattle manure contaminates waterways, contributing to the creation of dead zones such as the Gulf of Mexico’s hypoxic zone, which kills
energyclimate-changecarbon-footprintgreenhouse-gasesmethane-emissionsagriculture-impactenvironmental-sustainabilitySolar Arrays Can Aid Grasslands During Drought — New Research - CleanTechnica
New research conducted at Jack’s Solar Garden in Longmont, Colorado, reveals that solar panel arrays in semi-arid grasslands can reduce water stress and improve soil moisture, leading to increased plant growth—particularly during drought conditions. Over four years, researchers observed that partial shading from photovoltaic (PV) panels and water runoff from the panels helped grasses survive harsh summer months, with growth on the east side of panels increasing by up to 90% compared to open fields during dry years. Even in normal or wet years, grass productivity remained higher near the panels. This study is the first to field test how co-locating solar arrays with grasslands affects ecosystem dynamics, highlighting potential benefits for renewable energy development and ecosystem stability in drought-prone regions. The research, led by Colorado State University scientists including Matthew Sturchio and Knapp, emphasizes that although the solar array was designed primarily for energy generation, it inadvertently created a more favorable environment for grasses during dry periods. The findings suggest that modifying solar panel design—such as adjusting panel positioning to optimize shade and light exposure—could further enhance water use efficiency and plant growth. The study focuses on perennial C3 “cool season” grasses, with plans to extend research to C4 grasses common in Colorado’s plains, which thrive in warmer, sunnier conditions. This work contributes to understanding how agrivoltaics can support both renewable energy goals and grassland ecosystem health amid increasing drought and climate change challenges.
solar-energyrenewable-energyagrivoltaicsdrought-resiliencegrassland-ecosystemsphotovoltaic-panelsenvironmental-sustainabilitySuperbug mines rare earths and captures carbon from thin air
rare-earthscarbon-capturebiotechnologysustainable-miningclimate-changemicrobial-engineeringenvironmental-sustainabilityScientists turn simple clay into base for quantum computer in Norway
materialsquantum-computingclaysemiconductor-propertiesenvironmental-sustainabilitysuperconductorsresearch-collaborationTrên 300 cây xanh được trồng thêm tại Nhà máy Nhiệt điện Vĩnh Tân 2
energyrenewable-energyenvironmental-sustainabilityclimate-changepower-generationtree-plantingVinh-Tan-2Hồ nước thải có thể cung cấp 40 triệu tấn đất hiếm mỗi năm
rare-earth-elementswastewater-treatmentmining-technologyenvironmental-sustainabilityresource-extractionchemical-engineeringacid-mine-drainageFinland Could Be the First Country in the World to Bury Nuclear Waste Permanently
nuclear-wasteFinlandpermanent-disposalnuclear-powerspent-fuelenergy-policyenvironmental-sustainability