Posted on 17 September
2009
Biotech technical
report 6.78 MB pdf Biotech policy report
6.06 MB pdf Industrial biotechnology has
the potential to save the planet up to 2.5
billion tons of CO2 emissions per year and
support building a sustainable future, a
WWF report found.
As the world is debating
how to cut dangerous emissions and come
together in an international agreement treaty
which will help protect the planet from
potentially devastating effects of climate
change, innovative ideas how to reduce our
CO2 are very valuable.
A recent report published
by WWF Denmark identifies the potential
to be between 1 billion and 2.5 billion
tons CO2 per year by 2030, more than Germany’s
total reported emissions in 11000.
Industrial biotechnology
could help create a true 21st century green
economy, the report states.
Industrial biotechnology
applications are already widely used in
everyday life. They help reduce the amount
of time needed to bake fresh bread, increase
the yield in wine, cheese and vegetable
oil production and save heat in laundry
washing.
“Low carbon biotech
solutions are a good example of hidden or
invisible climate solutions that are all
around us already today but are easy to
overlook for policymakers, investors and
companies.” says John Kornerup Bang, Head
of Globalization Program at WWF Denmark
and coauthor of the report.
A newer example on how
biotechnology solutions could help reduce
carbon emissions is the harvesting of biogas
from waste digesters and wastewater streams.
The report emphasizes
the potential of taking that existing technology
even one step further and creating fully
closed loop systems.
Biorefineries are able
to transform any biobased waste material
into a valuable feedstock for the production
of other biobased materials. The possible
emission reductions for such processes are
estimated to be as high as 633 million tons
of CO2.
The report indentifies
four fundamental dimensions of industrial
biotechnology: Improved efficiency, the
substitution of fossil fuels, the substitution
of oil-based materials and the creation
of a closed loop system with the potential
to eliminate waste.
But as with most technologies,
the potential to achieve sustainability
objectives does not automatically translate
into such goals being realized.
“Politicians need to
set the path toward a green economy. This
will not be easy, and we must look for new
solutions, which can help us reduce emissions
very quickly. It is clear that there is
no alternative to explore these innovative
pathways,” John Kornerup Bang said.
+ More
Endangered Grand Banks
cod catch doubles in 2008
Posted on 20 September
2009
Halifax, Canada: The amount of cod caught
on the Grand Banks this past year exceeded
the 420 tonnes bycatch reduction target
set by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries
Organization (NAFO) by a wide margin.
The target was exceeded
by more than 500 tonnes, or 119 per cent,
according to new data recently made public
by NAFO.
During meetings last
year, NAFO delegates refused to set and
enforce absolute bycatch targets, instead
relying on voluntary measures by member
countries to reach their target of reducing
bycatch by 40 per cent. This target was
estimated to be the maximum the cod population
could withstand in order to still have a
chance to recover. Despite this massive
overshoot, the recovery of southern Grand
Banks cod is not a top priority on the agenda
at this year’s annual meeting in Bergen,
Norway, from September 21-25.
As voluntary measures
have failed, WWF is calling on NAFO to use
scientific advice to reduce bycatch and
immediately implement a suite of stringent
measures. Such measures would include spatial
and temporal closures, absolute bycatch
limits, and total allowable catches (TACs)
that are in line with scientific advice.
“We can’t continue to
ignore these numbers,” says Dr. Robert Rangeley,
Vice-President, WWF-Canada, Atlantic Region.
“Rebuilding fish stocks and ecosystems is
possible if exploitation rates are reduced
and effective controls are implemented in
waters beyond national jurisdiction. By
enforcing absolute limits on cod bycatch
through a combination of gear restrictions
and closed areas at this meeting, NAFO can
provide the last chance for restoring this
cod fishery.”
NAFO delegates can turn
to their host country, Norway, as a model
of what happens when ecosystem based and
precautionary approach management is followed,
and sustainability and recovery plans are
adhered to. Norway's cod longline fishery
is the world’s first Atlantic cod fishery
to attain Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
certification, with an annual harvest of
about 5,000 metric tons of cod. The benefits
of this recovered fishery have impacted
the country both economically and socially.
In addition to cod bycatch
reduction, WWF is calling on NAFO to take
concrete steps to meet their 2006 commitment
to protect critical habitats and the health
of the oceans. In 2008, limited steps were
taken to provide protection for vulnerable
marine ecosystems (VMEs) within NAFO’s regulatory
area, but the damaging effects of fishing
gear continue to impact oceans health and
species recovery. A strong policy has already
been put in place and VME areas have been
mapped, so there is no reason why NAFO cannot
implement effective protection measures
during this meeting.
“Healthy and productive
coastal communities and industries depend
on healthy and productive oceans,” says
Dr. Rangeley. “By rebuilding the Grand Banks,
we can sustain fish - and fishing communities
- for future generations.”
