From Petro to Agro: Seeds of a New Economy

This policy brief examines the the implications of a shift from a petroleum based economy to a biobased one. The authors argue that, just as we currently demand assured access to sources of oil, in the near future we will demand assured access to a broad-based, diverse supply of genes (plants and animals). This shift has security implications. Relations with oil-rich countries will be of less importance, and relations with gene-rich states—mostly the biodiverse regions along the equator—will assume greater significance. Conflicts may arise between gene-rich, technology-poor countries that control the basic raw materials of a biobased economy and gene-poor, technology-rich nations that control the production methods.

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