CHICAGO - (Business Wire) Former Vice President Al Gore presented the keynote address today at the 2010 BIO International Convention, focusing on the environment, healthcare reform, and other pressing global issues with an emphasis on biotechnology's role in addressing these challenges. Hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the global event for biotechnology is taking place through Thursday, May 6 at Chicago's McCormick Place.
"Mr. Gore's keynote address served as a reminder of the great work our industry's done to help heal, fuel and feed the world, as well as the work that remains to be done," said Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of BIO.
Discussing the climate crisis, Mr. Gore said, "What we are facing is unprecedented in human history, which is why it has been hard to come to grips with it."
He added, "the climate crisis is interwoven with the economic crisis and the security crisis. The common thread is the overdependence on carbon-based fuels. We need to shift from dirty, expensive, declining fuels to renewable fuels." With that, he acknowledged that the biotechnology industry is "leading the way to new sources of renewable fuels." He specifically thanked those in the industry who are "working on second and third generation biofuels and other developments in forestry and agriculture-work that is incredibly important."
He concluded by saying "more than an economic or security issue, the climate crisis is a moral issue. We have benefited from all the labors and the technology created by previous generations. How can we give the back of the hand to future generations? We need to step up and provide leadership."
Al Gore served as the 45th Vice President of the United States and continues to advise leaders in Congress and heads of state throughout the world on national and international affairs. Since his earliest days in the U. S. Congress, Al Gore has been the leading advocate for confronting the threat of global warming. In 2007, Mr. Gore received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reduce global warming.
Mr. Gore is the author of An Inconvenient Truth, a best-selling book on the threat of and solutions to global warming, and the subject of the movie of the same title, which is one of the top documentary films in history. Wednesday's keynote session was sponsored by Amgen, a leading human therapeutics company in the biotechnology industry.
The 2010 BIO International Convention is expected to draw nearly 15,000 industry leaders from 48 states and 60 countries. This year, the Convention program features more than 125 sessions in 17 tracks. New tracks for 2010 include Delivery and Manufacturing of Biologics, Global Drug Development and Marketing, Innovations in Vaccines, and MarketPlace Watch.
In addition, this year's BIO Exhibition covers more than 180,000 net sq. ft. and hosts more than 1,700 exhibitors. Product Focus Zones within the BIO Exhibition include BioProcess, Business Services, Clinical Trials, Contracts, Discovery and the BioPark.
The BIO International Convention helps to support BIO programs and initiatives. BIO works throughout the year to create a policy environment that enables the industry to continue to fulfill its vision of bettering the world through biotechnology innovation. For more information on the global event for biotechnology, including program and housing information, please visit http://convention.bio.org.
About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.
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