Climate change: "You have to invest heavily in innovation".
Even if the world manages to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees, farmers will lose an additional 5-10 percent of their harvest on average. This is why climate change is such a serious problem for agriculture. At the same time, agriculture itself must contribute to climate protection. According to Matthias Berninger from Bayer, investments in new technologies are crucial for this.
Monday, November 8, 2021
Fertilisers are among the main sources of greenhouse gases in agriculture. Bayer is researching alternatives. But how do you make the switch? Matthias Berninger tells CNBC: "You have to invest heavily in innovation. The Haber-Bosch process is one of the most important chemical processes in human history. Thanks to it, we have traditional fertiliser. About 40 per cent of all food is based on the process. Therefore, you can't just flip the switch." But advances in genetics and biorevolution would certainly produce alternatives. Fertiliser today accounts for about 4 per cent of all CO2 emissions. So the potential for climate protection is huge here.
Related articles
Sales bans due to PFAS: Should we be worried?
After spectacular sales bans on fish and meat due to PFAS contamination, consumers are asking themselves: How dangerous are these substances really – and what can still be placed in the shopping basket without concern?
How German Experts View New Breeding Techniques
In hardly any other country is the idyllic image of organic farming cultivated in the public sphere as carefully as in Germany. Naturalness and rural authenticity are powerful mental refuges for many Germans. Against this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that resistance to new breeding techniques is strong – and that ignorance about the realities of organic farming sometimes appears almost deliberate.
Why consumers accept gene-edited foods on their plates
Acceptance of gene-edited foods increases when the tangible benefits for consumers are easy to understand. A recent study by the Center for Food Integrity (CFI), conducted in collaboration with FMI – The Food Industry Association, shows that consumers evaluate technologies such as genome editing positively when they recognize clear advantages for health, the environment, or food security.
Beautiful and delicious mutants on your plate: The misunderstood world of crop improvement
When most of us hear the word mutation, the images that come to mind are not positive. We think of radioactive monsters, comic book villains, or genetic diseases like sickle-cell anemia. In popular culture, “mutants” are often synonymous with danger. Possibly the most famous are Marvel’s X-Men, who have enjoyed four big-screen incarnations and an enduring place among sci-fi movie aficionados.