We have spoken before about EFFAT (the European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors) and their interest in environmental matters.
We would like to bring to your attention a publication by their Danish Food section, a 20-page booklet on what the bioeconomy is and how to develop a “bio” society. The approach is a combination of educational and scientific, presented and illustrated in a way that is accessible to everyone. This is the introduction:
“The population on Earth is growing and we need more food. Climate change is both a reality and a threat. The answer is simple: We absolutely must use our biological resources better, so there will be food for more people with less environmental and climate impact per unit produced, and renewable biological material enough to produce the replacement for what we currently get from fossil crude oil (e.g. materials, chemicals and plastics).
The good news is that by doing this we can create a lot of new good jobs; and a large part of the technologies are already developed. It is possible. The optimism lies in the fact that in Denmark we are already very good at green technologies, biological production and food production. The next step is to come up in scale, optimize processes and show that it works.
We are already moving towards “the biobased society”: less waste generated by optimally utilizing what we grow, harvest, produce and eat; development of bio-based alternatives to fossil-based products: bioenergy, bioplastics and biochemicals. Plus locally produced protein-rich animal feed and new types of healthy food ingredients; and last but not least the circulation of nutrients back to the soil. Already we can get more types of products from biomass than from oil.”
There is nothing to add!
We recommend that as well as being read, this publication should be distributed as widely as possible and sent to media and educational bodies. If any organization wishes to translate the document into Italian or another community language, they are invited to contact the Danish authors directly, through Jasper Lund Larsen: jesper.lund.larsen@3f.dk
Gruppo Suolo Europa 