A 12-year-old girl has been pulled from the mangled wreckage of a helicopter after surviving a crash that killed her parents
Dramatic footage shows the moment Bethina Feldman was piggybacked to safety by rescuers following the tragic incident which happened near Caieiras, Brazil.
In one video she can be seen clinging onto a man's back as he carries her through dense woodland on January 17, a day after the crash.
Another shows the remains of a blue helicopter lying on the floor as emergency responders attach ropes and prepare to hoist it out of the vegetation.
The chopper was carrying Bethina, her parents, and the pilot when it smashed into the ground on Thursday January 16.
It left Campo de Marte Airport in São Paulo, Brazil, at around 7:30pm before making a stop at a helipad in the Jaguaré neighbourhood.
It took off again, bound for Americana, in stormy conditions before its GPS signal was lost at 8:34pm.
Firefighters and police were dispatched to Caieiras, where the passengers' last mobile signal was recorded.
The wreckage of the Eurocopter EC130 was spotted from a police helicopter in a densely wooded area at 6:15 am on Friday January 17.
Bethina, who turned 12 that day, and pilot Edenilson de Oliveira Costa were found walking through the forest a short distance away.
Both were taken to a hospital in São Paulo.
At the time of reporting, Edenilson remained in the facility in stable condition but with no discharge date set.
Bethina's parents, André Feldman and Juliana Elisa Alves Maria Feldman did not survive the crash.
Their other two children, nine-year-old twins Enrico and Manoela, were not on board the chopper.
André, 50, was CEO of the betting company BiG Brazil Internacional Gaming. He was laid to rest in São Paulo on Sunday 19 Jan.
His wife, 49, owned the fashion brand Juliana Böher MultiBrand. She was laid to rest in Americana on Saturday.
Americana mayor Chico Sardelli said: 'They leave behind a legacy of hard work, dedication, and friendship.'
The helicopter could carry up to five passengers and was in good working condition, as reported by NeedToKnow.
Investigations are underway to determine why it crashed but officials say 'spatial disorientation due to the bad weather' could have caused the tragedy.
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Fabio Teixeira
A group of workers at a landfill in Caieiras pick through tech garbage for precious minerals
Waste is a huge driver of methane emissions but the Brazilian public widely opposes landfills despite their environmental benefits
Brazil - In Brazil's state of São Paulo
one otherwise ordinary town is known for its extraordinary landfill facility - the largest in the country - which produces renewable energy but has also generated staunch opposition from citizens and councillors
The site near Caieiras is home to a large biogas power plant
which converts methane - a potent greenhouse gas produced by rotting garbage - into electricity
preventing it from being released into the air and so avoiding planet-heating emissions
While the landfill has been hailed for its environmental benefits and held up as an example of the future of waste management in Brazil
locals in Caieiras complain about the smell and the impact on house prices in the surrounding area
The latest available government data shows there were only 17 such green power plants located on landfills nationwide as of 2015
while debate about the broader impact of landfill sites on nearby residents is fierce across Brazil
A government drive to close informal garbage dumps - where waste rots in the open air - and replace them with modern
managed landfills faces widespread resistance from communities
who runs a store in a neighborhood near the Caieiras landfill
The 52-year-old said she had grown accustomed to the garbage trucks driving past her business every day
but not the odor that wafts from the landfill - especially on warmer days
you cannot open the window or the stench comes in," Souza said in an interview
The landfill - which is run by Solvi Group
a waste management company - has been open since 2002
and collects garbage from several neighboring cities including São Paulo
Three landfills run by Solvi in Brazil have green power plants
The Caieiras facility started operating in 2016 and now generates enough renewable energy to supply about 300,000 people
various residents of Caieiras - a town with a population of about 100,000 - said they did not care about the green benefits of the landfill and its biogas plant
Solvi is in a legal battle with Caieiras after councillors passed a 2020 law requiring the company to provide free electricity to the town as a form of compensation for the smell and the negative effect on property values
The law was suspended by an injunction sought by Solvi pending a judgment by a São Paulo court on its legality
said he was aware of complaints from residents - but highlighted how the company gives 1% of its annual revenue from the landfill to Caieiras
we will give 7 billion reals ($1.34 billion) to the town," he said
About 40% of Brazil's waste rots outdoors and releases methane into the atmosphere, according to a 2021 study by Abrelpe
the national association of solid waste managers
Brazil, which last year signed a U.N. pledge to cut methane emissions, is the world's fifth-largest emitter of the gas - responsible for about 5.5% of the total - found a recent study by the Climate Observatory
Waste is the nation's second-biggest source of methane emissions
which are expected to rise by more than a quarter by 2030 unless action is taken
A worker at a landfill in Caieiras picks through tech garbage for precious minerals
Brazil launched a waste management plan in 2010
aiming to shut more than 2,800 informal dump sites and replace them with landfills by 2024
garbage is buried with machinery to prevent it decomposing in the open air
The methane produced as it rots underground is captured and used to generate power so the gas does not escape into the atmosphere
The government has projected that energy sourced from waste could almost triple by 2040 if all landfills were able to turn at least 50% of their emissions into electricity
it would be economically viable to install power plants like the one in Caieiras
Industrial Development Organization who specializes in solid waste management policies
Yet the 2024 target to shut uncontrolled dumps appears set to be missed
as cities delay opening landfills due to concerns over costs and the potential impacts on residents
Pushback from local communities is one of the main obstacles to the roll-out of more landfills
citizens in Bujaru and Acará - towns in the northern state of Pará - protested against the opening of a landfill near them by closing down a major highway
similar protests erupted in May when plans for a landfill were unveiled
"(Landfills) will always bring inconveniences," Carlos Silva Filho
"The point of equilibrium needs to be found
explaining that disputes between local authorities and landfill administrators are common
The relationship between Solvi and Caieiras' councillors has soured in recent years - and the two sides are now in deadlock
Authorities say the deal made in 2000 between the town and Solvi
is no longer a fair arrangement and they want to renegotiate the terms
said Solvi now benefits from several sources of revenue that were not included in the original deal - including the green energy it sells
And business can't be good for one side only," Panelli said
Caieiras officials are also concerned about the fact that Solvi had initially expected the site to become full and have to close by 2070
the land will be restored to a public park
Authorities will then have to manage and pay for trash collection far sooner than envisaged
at a cost of about 15 million reals ($2.9 million) a year
"It is a lot of money for a town like ours," he said
A gas powerplant in a landfill that generates power from methane
Nicolleti of Solvi said he did not believe the company needed to renegotiate its contract with Caieiras or provide free energy
pointing out that any revenue it makes benefits the town through the 1% funding arrangement
Solvi also tries to lessen its impact on nearby residents by monitoring the wind direction to avoid shoveling waste when it blows towards the town
including one to bring recycling to the community
Yet such efforts are insufficient for many citizens in Caieiras
who moved there in 1997 when the landfill site was a eucalyptus plantation
Da Silva - whose neighborhood is the closest to the landfill - said he had spent two decades hoping for it to be closed down
he might not live until 2041 to see that happen
Take it somewhere where there are no communities," da Silva said
(Reporting by Fabio Teixeira; Editing by Kieran Guilbert and Megan Rowling)
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Caieiras, Sao Paulo: As Australia debates the need to spend money on renewable energy projects to power our future without destroying the environment
Is this never-ending resource being used to our advantage
instead of just seeing it as something to get rid of
A never-ending resource: rubbish.Credit: Graham Tidy
That is a question environmental engineer Marcelo Camargo
manager of one of the world's largest biogas electricity generators on the outskirts of Sao Paulo
Rubbish tips produce copious amounts of methane gas which must be allowed to escape to avoid combusting the sites
It is typically burnt in multiple flares to convert it into CO²
All the carbon dioxide is typically released into the atmosphere
And that's what the Solvi Group of companies
which owns and manages 39 landfill sites in Brazil
in the process earning carbon credits in the country's carbon trading scheme
Brazil's largest biogas (methane) energy plant
on the outskirts of Sao Paulo.Credit: Lia Timson
"But we saw an opportunity," says Camargo
who's been in the business for more than a decade and oversaw the plant's construction
opened a small thermoelectric plant in Salvador
and in 2016 used lessons from that site to build a 100 million reais ($39 million) modern
Nestled in lush subtropical hills just 33 kilometres out of the Sao Paulo megametropolis
Termoverde Caieiras is surrounded by an eucalyptus plantation and a environmental reserve belt that has the added bonus of shielding it from the road
The power plant itself is not much bigger than a couple of football fields and most Paulistas don't even know it is there
Trucks work on the 15,000-square-metre rubbish tip in Caieiras
where black pipes take methane away to the power plant
bringing 10,000 tonnes of rubbish from half of Sao Paulo's households as well as from surrounding towns
are dumped onto sections of the plant's 15,000-square-metre tip operated by sister company Essencis
The loads are then compacted and landscaped onto terraces
A network of perforated pipes allows the methane generated by the decomposing rubbish to travel upwards naturally
travels downwards into a dam and later by truck to a sewage treatment plant
The methane is captured and piped into thermo engines in modular containers.Credit: Lia Timson
instead of burning aimlessly through small flares
the gas is captured and piped into 21 containers housing individual generators
it leaves as high-voltage electricity transmitted by cables to the site's substation
before feeding the state's power grid
Any excess methane that can't be processed by the power plant is control-burnt in large flares
The plant produces enough energy to power a city of 300,000 – say
Wollongong in NSW or Geelong in Victoria – all year around
That's 29.5 megawatts of energy that would otherwise be wasted
Five of the 21 modular generators at Termoverde Caieiras.Credit: Lia Timson
The waste-to-energy technology is known in Australia as anaerobic digestion
and is currently deployed in a modest site in Wollert
where it powers the Yarra Valley Water sewage treatment plant
The $27-million 18-month-old site has a capacity to process up to 33,000 tonnes of organic waste each year
any surplus energy from the plant is exported to the grid
It sells its energy to large commercial clients
and any surplus it sells on the open market
It has proven such a hit the company is thinking of converting all its sites into such private green-energy engines
Electricity from the containers is fed into the site's substation and then the state's grid
Key to the technology is that it doesn't burn or heat the waste – as opposed to combustion and gasification technology
which use incinerators and boilers respectively
Victoria is planning a gasification plant for Laverton North that would take up to 200,000 tonnes a year of residual household waste
such as anaerobic digestion and composting of waste from its Energy from Waste Policy Statement
in favour of thermal treatments such as combustion
A planned $700-million waste-to-energy incinerator plant by Dial A Dump Industries in Western Sydney was dumped in July amid uncertainty over the project’s human health risks and impact on air and water quality
"Incinerators are only used where there's no room for landfill
like in Germany or Japan," Camargo says
adding that in Brazilian terms such solutions cost twice as much as anaerobic digestion because of the cost of heating the waste
and it has the added problem of burning dioxins from things like PVC which are much more damaging to the environment
“And by not burning the rubbish to create energy
I’m making clean energy from a renewable source," Camargo says
"I'm also helping reduce the amount of odour emissions from the landfill site."
In order to obtain the permits necessary to operate in Brazil
where more than 80 per cent of all energy generation is from renewable sources
the company had to build the substation and transfer its ownership to the state electricity transmission company
"There are very stringent requirements
but the environmental advantages are undisputable
"I'm transforming rubbish into energy and contributing to the national policy of reduction of solid waste
director of the not-for-profit Instituto Escolhas and former Greenpeace Brazil executive
told Sao Paulo daily newspaper Folha de SP this month that no single renewable energy source can be relied upon to supply an entire country's electricity system
"We shouldn't necessarily select the option with lowest cost or the most competitive," he said
solar and hydro energy (the latter supplies 68 per cent of Brazil's needs)
"It's how they complement each other that provides the best and most efficient mix."
NB: This story has been adjusted to reflect the correct flow of methane and CO² in the plant's energy production
Sao Paulo: As projects to power our future without destroying the environment
manager of one of the world's largest biogas electricity generators on the outskirts of Sao Paulo
It is typically burnt in multiple flares to convert it into CO\\u00B2
And that's what the Solvi Group of companies
in the process earning carbon credits in the country's carbon trading scheme
\\\"But we saw an opportunity,\\\" says Camargo
who's been in the business for more than a decade and oversaw the plant's construction
and in 2016 used lessons\\u00A0from that site to build a 100 million reais ($39 million) modern
The power plant itself is not much bigger than a couple of football fields and most Paulistas don't even know it is there
bringing 10,000 tonnes of rubbish from half of Sao Paulo's households as well as from surrounding towns
are dumped onto sections of the plant's 15,000-square-metre tip operated by sister company Essencis
it leaves as high-voltage electricity transmitted by cables to the site's substation
Any excess methane that can't be processed by the power plant is control-burnt in large flares
The plant produces enough energy to power a city of 300,000\\u00A0\\u2013 say
Wollongong\\u00A0in NSW or Geelong in Victoria\\u00A0\\u2013 all year around
That's 29.5 megawatts of energy that would otherwise be wasted
Key to the technology is that it doesn't burn or heat the waste\\u00A0\\u2013 as opposed to combustion and gasification\\u00A0technology
for\\u00A0Laverton North that would take up to 200,000 tonnes a year of residual household waste
in favour of\\u00A0thermal treatments such as\\u00A0combustion
A planned $700-million waste-to-energy amid\\u00A0uncertainty over the project\\u2019s human health risks and impact on air and water quality
\\\"Incinerators are only used where there's no room for landfill
like in Germany or Japan,\\\" Camargo says
\\u201CAnd by not burning the rubbish to create energy
I\\u2019m making clean energy from a renewable source,\\\" Camargo says
\\\"I'm also helping reduce the amount\\u00A0of odour emissions from the landfill site.\\\"
\\\"I'm transforming rubbish into energy and contributing to the national policy of reduction of solid waste
told Sao Paulo daily newspaper\\u00A0Folha de SP\\u00A0this month that no single renewable energy source can be relied upon to supply an entire country's electricity system
\\\"We shouldn't necessarily select the option with lowest cost or the most competitive,\\\" he said
solar and hydro energy (the latter supplies 68 per cent of Brazil's needs)
\\\"It's how they complement each other that provides the best and most efficient mix.\\\"
NB: This story has been adjusted to reflect the correct flow of methane and CO\\u00B2 in the plant's energy production
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