Climate change and the dramatic loss of biodiversity are the greatest threats of our time. Humanity must urgently adapt its economic activities and way of life to the natural cycles of our planet. We must move away from fossil fuels and chemical-based processes as quickly as possible – towards new, highly efficient and sustainable production methods. This knowledge-based industrial revolution is already underway: biotechnology. Yet whilst it has long been established in the pharmaceutical industry – around two-thirds of all new medicines are biopharmaceuticals – energy generation and the chemical industry in particular remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Nor will the food sector, in its current structure, be able to feed the world’s population in the long term: almost 80 per cent of global agricultural land is used for animal feed and grazing.
Biotechnologie steckt schon heute erfolgreich in zahlreichen Produkten, ohne dass es den Verbrauchern bewusst ist. Viele Innovationen sind zudem fertig entwickelt, werden aber von einer regulatorischen Bürokratie aufgehalten. Doch der Klimawandel wird uns zwingen, den Wandel von fossilen Energieträgern hin zu biologischen High-Tech-Kreislaufsystemen stark zu beschleunigen. Es ist eine Aufgabe der Kapitalmärkte, diesen Wandel hin zu hocheffektiven industriellen Prozessen zu finanzieren.
Europe's economy is currently desperately seeking a new unique selling proposition. Here it is: Billions have been invested in biotechnology research and development for decades. Now, all that's needed is the leap into broad, large-scale industrial production. This is not only a promising long-term investment, but also a small contribution to a big goal: Let's save the planet!
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