{"id":137877,"date":"2024-01-26T07:32:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T06:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=137877"},"modified":"2024-01-18T11:59:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T10:59:39","slug":"researcher-appointed-global-bioeconomy-youth-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/researcher-appointed-global-bioeconomy-youth-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Researcher appointed global Bioeconomy Youth Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

While global leaders discuss how to respond to \u201cclimate tipping points<\/a>\u201d at the World Economic Forum\u2019s annual meeting in Switzerland this week, one young science leader at Scion has emerged as an ambassador for the bioeconomy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Scion researchers Ki-Taurangi Bradford (left) and Dr Angelique Greene.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Dr Angelique Greene has been appointed as a Bioeconomy Youth Champion for the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB) in the Asia-Pacific region \u2013 and she\u2019s now on a mission to gather more like-minded young people to grow awareness about the benefits of the bioeconomy for communities, the climate and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She joins Kokuke Shiraishi from Kyoto University in Japan in co-leading the IACGB\u2019s regional bioeconomy group for youth. Working together, they are recruiting researchers and young leaders to learn more about how youth are involved, understand and engage with bioeconomies in their own countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two workshops are on the horizon for the group. It\u2019s hoped the first can be held this year in Rotorua, setting the stage for a second workshop in Kyoto, Japan, in 2025. The first workshop will focus on developing strategies for surveying and collecting data from young people across the Asia-Pacific region. The goal for the second is to create a culturally relevant and impactful study that can guide policy decisions and the transition to a bioeconomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insights gathered will be instrumental in helping countries respond to the changes that are already underway. Bioeconomy is not just a buzzword; it encompasses technologies such as biotechnology and sustainable agriculture that are crucial for solving the pressing issues related to climate change. With Scion helping New Zealand transition to a circular bioeconomy, Greene and fellow Bioeconomy Youth Champions will help to assess the workforce pipeline, bioresource availability, and training needs in different regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greene says her role reflects her commitment as a scientist to create a more sustainable future, while also highlighting the importance of involving the younger generation in shaping global policies that will affect their future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe issues we\u2019re focused on matter a lot to everyone around the world, but specifically to those who are most impacted by the effects of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn our Asia-Pacific region, Asia is the most populated area of the planet, and the Pacific Islands are often underrepresented on global issues. I\u2019m strongly advocating for diverse indigenous populations that would traditionally be marginalised to be part of the conversation and have a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientist Ki-Taurangi Bradford from Scion\u2019s Te Ao M\u0101ori Research Group<\/a> is the latest to join Greene and her group who are actively recruiting members from countries such as Samoa, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Philippines and Fiji. These countries represent a range of cultures, customs, and economic situations. Their indigenous communities also possess valuable knowledge about sustainable living and resource use, which can inform global bioeconomy strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bradford says she feels very motivated to contribute to the team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI believe that the bioeconomy, with its potential to address climate change, promote inclusivity, and empower indigenous communities, aligns with my values and aspirations for a more equitable and sustainable future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Before embarking on the youth survey, Greene says a focus for the group will be asking if the terminology being used is correct for particular countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou might go into one country and say \u2018bioeconomy\u2019 and people will laugh and tell you they\u2019ve been actively living the principles of a bioeconomy for thousands of years. It\u2019s not a new concept for indigenous cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven a few hundred years ago, people lived off the resources of the land and used every part of things. In places like Samoa, it\u2019s still how many people live their lives. This is why it\u2019s important to have diverse global voices in the group.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In addition to workshops, Greene and Shiraishi will attend the Global Bioeconomy Summit hosted by the IACGB in late 2024 where they will share their work and experiences from the Asia-Pacific group. These global gatherings foster a sense of community, underlining the importance of collaboration in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greene\u2019s work extends beyond her role as a Youth Champion. She is the project leader for the Waikato University-led MBIE-funded Amiomio Aotearoa project at Scion. This project focuses on building a circular economy in New Zealand by exploring sustainable recycling strategies for plastics. A key aspect of Greene\u2019s research involves enzymatic plastic degradation, which offers a more sustainable and cleaner method for recycling plastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current mechanical or chemical recycling methods can only be repeated a limited number of times or can require harsh chemicals. Greene\u2019s approach uses enzymes as bio-catalysts to break down plastics into their monomer components. These monomers can be used for energy production or to create new bioplastics, significantly reducing waste and environmental impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s work in the biotechnology space that we know will become increasingly important as we aim to move away from being so dependent on fossil fuels to create products,\u201d says Greene<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While global leaders discuss how to respond to \u201cclimate tipping points\u201d at the World Economic Forum\u2019s annual meeting in Switzerland this week, one young science leader at Scion has emerged as an ambassador for the bioeconomy. Dr Angelique Greene has been appointed as a Bioeconomy Youth Champion for the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Dr Angelique Greene of Scion Research was appointed as Bioeconomy Youth Champion for Asia-Pacific by the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5838,5796,10416,13087],"supplier":[23413,4125,2125,3416],"class_list":["post-137877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioeconomy","tag-biotechnology","tag-circulareconomy","tag-climate","supplier-international-advisory-council-on-global-bioeconomy-iacgb-asia-pacific","supplier-universitaet-kyoto","supplier-scion-research","supplier-world-economic-forum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137877\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137877"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=137877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}