Abstract:Climate change is one of the greatest public policy challenges facing this generation. The rapid accumulation of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is already altering natural climate and biological systems, resulting in abnormally destructive wildfires, storms, rainfall patterns and the spread of infectious disease. It is increasingly clear that the historical, fossil fuel-based models of carbon, energy and material cycling through the economy are incompatible with maintaining a hospitable environment. Humanity will need to bring every tool it has to bear on this critical challenge. New approaches are required at almost every level of the economy. Biotechnology has the potential to be a transformative asset in this struggle. Biotechnology is technology based on biology. Biotechnology applications touch most aspects of modern life, from agriculture to manufacturing to medicine. In the context of climate change, biotechnology offers solutions in four key categories:

• Producing sustainable biomass feedstock
• Empowering sustainable production
• Developing lower carbon products
• Enhancing carbon sequestration

Biotechnology offers vital contributions to near-term greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and revolutionary tools to combat climate change in the longer term. Policies supporting the development and deployment of biotech climate solutions should be part of any government effort to address climate change. This report reviews the current contributions of biotechnology to greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and identifies the emerging biotech solutions with the greatest potential to avert, and reverse, catastrophic climate change.

Key words: climate change, biotechnology, policies