Bio-economy – a key driver for green growth
生物经济：绿色增长的关键驱动力
5 October 2011
In the future, our well-being will be based on the sustainable and wide-ranging use of renewable natural resources. The transition from industrial production thinking to the smart management of natural resources will be an opportunity for sustainable, green growth – both locally and globally.
The future bio-economy will be both global and local. In the local bio-economy, part of the production – such as food and energy – will be carried out locally, close to the raw materials and the customers. This will minimize the need for transportation and promote efficient recycling of products. The waste left over from one process will provide raw material for another.
Although local production will be able to satisfy basic needs, special products and services will continue to be traded in the global market, as will the transformational and duplicable concepts of success in bio-economy. Local production will interconnect with the global system through smart energy networks or similar systems.
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This vision of future bio-economy is based on a report published by Landmarks Programme of Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund. |
The report Distributed Bio-Based Economy – Driving Sustainable Growth describes the structures of bio-based economy in society in 2050. The report was drafted by Gaia Consulting Ltd.
Water, nutrients more important than biomass
Bio-economy is a sector with considerable future potential. The challenge is that it is still seen as a narrow business sector based on bio-technology or the production and refinement of biomass.
“For example, the business opportunities offered by a material cycle based on biomass are yet to be explored,” says Dr. Hellström.
The importance of the local material cycle is supported by the results of an online survey targeted to international bio-economy specialists, carried out by Sitra in the summer of 2011. According to the respondents, the central element of bio-economy is not biomass but a sustainable water and nutrient cycle.
However, seizing the opportunities offered by a sustainable material cycle requires changes to society as a whole, and a new understanding of how centralized and decentralized systems can complement each other.
“Bio-economy is much more than just bioenergy, biomass refining and biotechnology. It can be seen as a new way of thinking and acting. The change affects our social system as a whole,” she explains.
Bio-economy helps combat global challenges
The results of the online survey indicate that while the business potential of bioeconomy is already apparent, the importance of bioeconomy as a social strategy, a new kind of economic and social structure, is not yet widely recognized.
“As a social strategy the bio-based economy could be a key in the fight against the challenges our society is facing, such as climate change and the depletion of natural resources,” Dr. Hellström stresses.
The bio-based economy offers ways to meet these challenges by decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and by strengthening the ability of society to respond to sudden global changes.
“The bio-based economy will not develop into a national strength by itself. If we are to achieve the vision of bio-economy, we need innovative structures and infrastructure as well as new patterns of consumption. The actors in the sector will also need a mutual understanding of the future vision,” she says.
“A key challenge for the development of bio-based economy is the increasing competition for raw materials, which creates internal tensions in the sector and complicates its development as a whole. Future winning concepts will spring from open-minded collaboration and bold experiments,” Hellström concludes.
Dr. Hellström gave a presentation 'Towards a Glocal Bio-Society' at Koli Forum 2011.
(For details, please visit 芬兰能源环境网(Energy & Enviro Finland): http://www.energy-enviro.fi/index.php?PAGE=2&PRINT=yes&ID=3826)