DENR to create opportunities for biotech to tackle climate change
BUILDING opportunities in biotechnology will be prioritized to help address climate change and achieve sustainable and inclusive growth for all Filipinos.
This was the commitment made by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, during the opening program of the recently-held 18th National Biotechnology Week (NBW) in Pasay City.
Speaking on behalf of Loyzaga, Jonas Leones, DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs, said biotechnology offers powerful solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Leones explained that with climate change already present and serious, the global phenomenon “compels us to act expeditiously and wisely, especially since the answer to the climate catastrophe requires [a] systematic transformation in the fusion of various disciplines.”
“Biotechnology is one of the tools that we can use to boost economic growth, create jobs, develop healthcare solutions, improve agri-food systems, and rehabilitate and protect our environment and natural resources,” he pointed out.
The DENR expressed its strong support for the NBW celebration, believing it was an opportune forum for sharing the biotech advancements in the different fields of specialization and for crafting scientifically informed decisions in the agency’s areas of concern.
The DENR’s Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), led by Director Maria Lourdes G. Ferrer, was the official representative of the agency for the said event.
The ERDB hosted sub-events for the NBW celebration. These events include “Enviotech,” which features biotechnology research and applications that were presented by various Filipino biotechnology scientists, and “Enviocon,” a mobile photo essay contest for the youth.
For his part, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said that the NBW event “takes on a special meaning as the COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus the opportunities that biotechnology may bring.”
“Biotechnology’s breakthrough products and technologies feature multifaceted benefits. Aside from creating vaccines that combat debilitating diseases, biotechnology can produce clean energy, reduce our environmental footprint, feed the hungry, [and] make industrial manufacturing processes safer, cleaner, and more efficient,” Pascual said.
