Press release
Leiden, 22 January 2016
Biobased experts call current fossil lock irresponsible
Climate change and sustainable development goals will fail
without a vibrant Bioeconomy. This is the main conclusion of a
group of biobased experts who joined forces in a workshop at
the Lorentz Center in Leiden to discuss the future of the
biobased economy. The group will deliver an action plan and
urge world leaders to untap the full potential of biobased
alternatives to fight climate change and help social
development. Patricia Osseweijer, professor in Biotechnology
and Society at TU Delft, distinguished fellow at the Dutch Royal
Academy NIAS Institute and initiator of the experts meeting:
“We are locked in a fossil society. It is irresponsible to remain
addicted to fossil resources when renewable alternatives can
provide so much benefit. We urgently need courageous
leadership to make the shift happen”
The Lorentz BioPanel
The experts established the Lorentz BioPanel to accelerate the move to a sustainable
Bioeconomy. Their vision builds on the latest insights amongst others deriving from the COP21
meetings: Humanity needs to work with nature to produce food, fuels and many materials
from plants and wastes enabling the move away from a fossil economy. The shift towards such
a “bioeconomy” is necessary to achieve key goals related to climate change, social and
economic development, sustainable agriculture, clean environments and food
security. Realizing these benefits across the developed and developing worlds is made more
difficult by volatility in fossil fuel prices. This gives rise to an urgent need for leaders from the
public and private sectors as well as civil society to act. The actions necessary to support the
bioeconomy entail far smaller costs and risks than inaction.
Lorentz continues to inspire
Hundred years ago Hendrik Lorentz chaired the turning point global meetings in physics and
chemistry. This inspired the 28 experts from 4 continents who cover a range of disciplines to
be ambitious in their bold actions. The BioPanel is preparing an action plan and will reach out
to world leaders as well as young professionals providing tools and insights to inspire them to
act. “Inaction is not ethical”.
Press release
--------------------------------------Notes to the editors---------------------------------------------------------A bioeconomy produces food, feed, fuels, materials and products from plants and wastes
-------------------About Delft University of Technology – Department of Biotechnology
Research and education in the Department of Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology
focusses on multidisciplinary approaches to industrial and environmental biotechnology, with
an open eye for the ethical and societal aspects of technology in these fields. Our research
aims at fundamental knowledge and understanding of molecular biosciences and
bioengineering. More information: www.tudelft.nl
About BE-Basic Foundation
BE-Basic Foundation is a leading international public-private partnership that develops
industrial biobased solutions to build a sustainable society. To switch from fossil fuels to
biomass, we require new technologies and insights for all industries that provide us with food,
chemicals, materials and energy. BE-Basic stimulates collaborations between academia and
industry, between scientists and entrepreneurs and between the Netherlands and abroad to
build a biobased economy together. More information: www.be-basic.org
About Lorentz Center
The Lorentz Center is a Dutch international workshop center that is hosted by Leiden
University. It organizes workshops in the full spectrum of scientific disciplines, aiming to
promote innovative research at the scientific frontiers as well as on complex societal
challenges (www.lorentzcenter.nl).
About NIAS
NIAS is the Dutch Institute for Advanced Study. It offers residential fellowships of three, five
or ten months to individuals and groups of researchers, creating an interdisciplinary academic
community. It provides a place to think, study and write, and the opportunity to interact with
colleagues from around the world. More information: www.nias.nl
Contact information
For more information, please contact: Prof. dr. P. Osseweijer (p.osseweijer@tudelft.nl / +31
651 03 39 16)