President Obama gave a speech today outlining how his Administration will address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for the changes that come with a warming world. One important tool he mentioned was the ability of innovators to find new ways to make products that don’t exacerbate pollution. The algae industry is proving to be one of those innovators, and ABO’s executive director Mary Rosenthal had these comments explaining how emitters of carbon dioxide may find a friend in algae:
“While many people think of CO2 emissions as a problem, algae technology companies see them as valuable inputs for the production of algae-based food, fuel and animal feed. Algae consume CO2 as they grow, and for high productivity, algae require more CO2 which can be supplied by emission sources such as power plants. By reusing CO2, algae-based technologies provide carbon-intensive industries with an emissions reduction approach that is a revenue-generating opportunity, rather than a costly expense.
While reducing overall emissions, these technologies also reduce our reliance on imported oil and create new sources of food and feed on lands unsuitable for agriculture and using waters unsuitable for human consumption.
Members of the Algae Biomass Organization look forward to working with utilities and other affected entities to showcase algae-based solutions that can help them meet their obligations while creating jobs, reducing costs and creating new growth opportunities.”