Life has transformed our world over billions of years, turning a dead rock into the lush, fertile planet we know today. But human activity is currently transforming Earth again, this time by releasing greenhouse gases that are driving dramatic changes in our climate.
What if we could harness the power of living organisms to help rein in climate change? The field of “engineering biology”, which uses genetic technology to engineer biological tools for solving specific problems, may be able to help.
Perhaps the most dramatic success to date of this nascent field is the mRNA vaccines that helped us weather the COVID pandemic. But engineering biology has enormous potential not only to help us adapt to climate change, but also to limit warming.
In our latest paper in Nature Communications, we reviewed some of the many ways engineering biology can aid the fight against climate change – and how governments and policymakers can make sure humanity reaps the benefits of the technology.
Could engineering biology help fight climate change?
We identified four ways engineering biology might help to mitigate climate change. The first is finding better ways to make synthetic fuels that can directly replace fossil fuels.
Many existing synthetic fuels are made from high-value crops such as corn and soybeans that might otherwise be used for food, so the fuels are expensive.
Some engineering biology research explores ways to make synthetic fuel from agricultural waste. These fuels could be cheaper and greener, and so might help speed up decarbonisation.
For example, it would be much faster for airlines to decarbonise their existing fleets by switching to synthetic zero-carbon jet fuels, rather than waiting to replace their aircraft with yet-to-be-developed planes running on hydrogen or batteries.
The second is developing cost-effective ways to capture greenhouse emissions (from industrial facilities, construction and agriculture) and then use this waste for “biomanufacturing” valuable products (such as industrial chemicals or biofuels).
The third is replacing emissions-intensive production methods. For example, several companies are already using “precision fermentation” to produce synthetic milk that avoids the dairy industry’s methane emissions. Other companies have produced microbes which promise to fix nitrogen in soil, and so help reduce the use of fertilisers produced from fossil fuels.
Finally, the fourth is directly capturing greenhouse gases from the air. Bacteria engineered to consume atmospheric carbon, or plants bred to sequester more carbon in their roots, could in theory help reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.
Beyond the technological and economic barriers, it’s unclear whether these ideas will ever gain a social license.
Given the “science fiction-like” character of some of these emerging climate responses, it’s essential that researchers be transparent and responsive to public attitudes.
How engineering biology can help mitigate
climate change
Replace fossil fuels in transport
Biofuel: Engineered microbes to store electrical energy in fuels or polymers -Engineered E coli bacteria to produce fuel directly from CO2
Hydrogen:Engineered microbes to make hydrogen gas by fermenting biomass
Reduce emissions from production processes
Industrial processes:-Engineered bacteria to absorb waste CO2 from industrial processes and store it or create useful byproducts such as ethanol
Construction/Materials: Bacteria in cement and concrete to create more durable materials with lower carbon emissions
Agriculture:Engineered plants to draw down nitrous oxide and methane from the atmosphere -Engineered rice varieties that produce less methane
Substitutes for emissions-intensive products Animal proteins:Biofermentation to produce synthetic milk and meat, reducing methane emissions and other environmental impacts Fertilisers
-Using cultivated or engineered microbes to fix nitrogen in soil Chemical manufacturing
-Engineered microbes to produce hydrogen without fossil fuels
Sequester or mitigate in the environment.
Sequester or mitigate carbon/GHGs in the environment -Engineered crops to store more carbon in root systems and soil, and microbes to store carbon in stable minerals -Engineered plants to capture and store greenhouse gases Fact or science fiction?
Just how realistic are these ideas? Bringing a new product to market takes time, money and careful research.
Engineering biology promises to contribute to a major step up in climate mitigation. Whether it lives up to this promise will depend on both the public and policymakers’ support. (The Conversation)