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P
opulation growth together with rising incomes are speeding
up consumption and demand for food, feed, fuel and other
materials globally. United Nations predicts that food
productionmust be doubled to meet demand from the world’s
growing population, which is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050.
“Within the coming decades we will be facing enormous and
unprecedented challenges that will result in environmental, social,
political and economic changes across the world,” predicts
John Bell,
Director of the Bioeconomy Directorate in the European Commission’s
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.
Bell points out that land availability and soil conservation together
with the effects of climate change will limit agricultural production.
Meanwhile, other biomass resources like marine and forestry biomass,
but in particular waste, are still underexploited.
“We needmore research and technology development to harness
this biomass potential in a sustainable manner. Innovation is what will
turn today’s bio-waste into tomorrow’s products. This will make the
bioeconomy the green engine of a wider circular economy where all
stocks have value at every stage of their life cycle."
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