Biorefining for a better future

Biorefineries are indispensable for hitting zero CO2 emissions, writes Novozymes’ Thomas Schrøder This article originally appears in the November/December issue of Biofuels International. Sign-up for a free copy here. The world has been discussing climate change for years. In the meantime, global temperatures have continued to rise at an alarming pace. Scientists now say[1] the world must hit zero CO2 emissions well before 2040 to prevent global warming from going above 1.5℃ by the end of the century. To address this challenge before it is too late, policymakers, businesses, and investors must act – fast. The political discourse, however, is often stuck between two extremes: A belief in rather simple solutions to address climate change or indifference despite incontrovertible evidence of climate change. Both views tend to brush aside the role of the biorefining sector – even though comprehensive and rational analysis clearly shows[2] that we cannot achieve the goal of net zero global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions without biorefineries.[3]...