unspecific

The natural storage of carbon dioxide in the form of biomass and soil deposits is considered an important tool on the road to climate neutrality. Wetlands are particularly important in this respect, as documented in a study published in the scientific journal Science: According to the study, wetlands store five times more carbon per square meter than forests and even 500 times more than oceans.

Biobased materials and resource-saving methods and processes are the key to a sustainable future that protects the climate and the environment. For this purpose, the start-up competition "PlanB - Biobased.Business.Bayern" has been launched, which is now starting its fifth round. Start-ups and bio-entrepreneurs who have a so-called Plan B ready for a world free of fossil raw materials can apply for funding again since May 9, 2022.

Seagrass removes carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere more sustainably than previously thought. This is the conclusion of a study published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, which examined seagrass meadows off the island of Elba.

Climate change and species extinction are considered the two greatest global crises of our time. An international study published in the journal "Global Change Biology" shows that both problems can often be combated with the same measures. In the study, experts show that 14 of the 21 species protection targets that the United Nations is expected to adopt at the UN Conference on Biological Diversity in Kunming in the fall of 2022 will also greatly slow down global warming.

With the Green Talents competition, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has been promoting the exchange of innovative green ideas and the emergence of international collaborations since 2009 - because the challenges of the future can only be met together. Under the patronage of Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, the competition has now entered a new round. Young researchers can apply to the Green Talents - International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development 2022 with their ideas for a sustainable future.

"Green chemistry" - i.e., environmentally friendly, sustainable and biobased chemistry - is defined by twelve principles. Paul Anastas and John C. Warner established them in 1998. While many of their principles are now widely taken into account when the industry develops new substances, a research team led by the Goethe University in Frankfurt believes that one principle has so far been neglected: the reduction of environmental toxicity.

The European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) clearly exceeded its target of 250 million euros at the closing of the subscription period. Shortly before Christmas, the fund had paused at around 200 million euros. Now, the international ECBF team has gained the support of a number of additional investors.

The bioeconomy can make a decisive contribution to the implementation of the global sustainability goals of the United Nations. However, a bio-based economy is not sustainable per se and in some cases there may even be conflicting goals.