With Nod to Earth Day: 10 Ways Biotech Can Save the Planet

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Monday, 27 April 2009 20:54

Washington, D.C., April 2009 – In honor of Earth Day, biotechnology can help save this planet we know and love: 1) Cellulosic biofuel, made from cellulose in wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants- such as cornstalks- can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 85 percent compared to gasoline. (Biotechnology Industry Organization. http://www.bio.org/ind/.) 2) Biotech is creating biodegradable plastics made from renewable sources. These plastics are versatile and help us reduce our use of petrochemicals. (Barnett, Ron. “Biodegradable plastic made from plants, not oil, is emerging.” USA Today, Dec. 26, 2008.) 3) If all plastics were made from biobased polylactic acid, oil consumption would decrease by 90–145 million barrels per year—or about as much oil as the United States consumes in one week (Biotechnology Industry Organization. “New Biotech Tools for a Cleaner Environment.” http://www.bio.org/ind/pubs/cleaner2004/CleanerReport.pdf.) 4) Biofuel from cellulose generates eight to 10 times as much net energy as is required for its production. (Biotechnology Industry Organization. “New Biotech Tools for a Cleaner Environment.” http://www.bio.org/ind/pubs/cleaner2004/CleanerReport.pdf.) 5) Algae does not compete with food production and can be transformed into a variety of renewable fuels, including biodiesel, cooking oil and jet fuel. (Biotechnology Industry Organization. “Biofuels: The Promise of Algae.” http://www.bio.org/ind/background/algae2009.pdf.) 6) Biotech is developing drought-resistant crops, enabling agricultural production to withstand adverse growing conditions. Researchers recently tested cutting-edge biotech plants by subjecting them to drought conditions of 70% less water than normal. They survived with almost no loss in yield. (Council for Biotechnology Information. “The Search for ‘More Crop Per Drop.’” http://www.whybiotech.com/resources/factsheets_morecropperdrop.asp.) 7) Pest-resistant biotech crops have reduced global pesticide applications by 630 million pounds. (Biotechnology Industry Organization. http://www.bio.org/foodag/.) 8) Biotech crops can be grown using no-till farming, which increases soil retention of carbon two or three times that of standard farming practices, causing less emissions of the harmful greenhouse gas. (Biotechnology Industry Organization. http://www.bio.org/foodag/.) 9) By reducing the need for energy intensive tilling, biotech crops have decreased fuel consumption on farms by 551 million gallons. (Biotechnology Industry Organization. http://www.bio.org/foodag/, PG Economics Ltd, http://www.pgeconomics.co.uk/.) 10) Processing just 30 percent of U.S. corn stover into biofuels would reduce net U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 90 to 150 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year, enough to offset the CO2 emissions of 10 typical coal-fired power plants. (Biotechnology Industry Organization. “Achieving Sustainable Production of Agriculture Biomass for Biorefinery Feedstock.” http://www.bio.org/ind/biofuel/SustainableBiomassReport.pdf.) All of these technologies allow for hope in the uphill battle to protect our environment. With biotechnology, we can build a greener, cleaner, and more responsible future. To learn more, please visit www.whatcanbiotechdoforyou.com. BIO represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. SOURCE: BIO < Prev   Next >