In an extraordinary move reflecting the urgency of the global climate crisis, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, alongside 13 other highly respected scientific journals, has published a groundbreaking editorial from 18 renowned scientists. It makes an urgent call for the immediate and widespread deployment of microbe-based solutions in solving the global climate crisis.

The editorial, Microbial solutions must be deployed against climate catastrophe, also published in journals from Applied Microbiology International (AMI), International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME), American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and Springer-Nature.

This joint action makes clear the broad consensus across authors, journals, and organisations that are keen to work together on the critical role of microbiology in addressing environmental challenges, and presents 6 key strategies to start applying immediately:

• Carbon sequestration
• Methane oxidation
• Bioenergy production
• Bioremediation
• Microbial therapies
• Nitrogen management

Microbes Hold The Key

Professor Antonio Ventosa, one of the co-authors of the editorial, and Professor of Microbiology at the University of Sevilla (and FEMS President) said: “As researchers in microbiology, we have solid evidence that microbes can create positive change. Microbes hold the key to reversing some of the effects of climate change. It is our view that, deployed at scale, we could begin to see positive changes remarkably quickly. The editorial is a call to funders, governments, policy makers to work with scientists to address the climate emergency in much the same way that the scientific community worked during the pandemic.”

An Alarm Bell

Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis at the University of Maryland, Patrik Bavoil, another co-author and FEMS Trustee, added, “This call for action is an alarm bell. Deploying microbes against climate catastrophe will not only mitigate environmental degradation, but also the continued threats to human health. If we do not act now, the degradation of our environment brought by climate change will accelerate.”

Safeguard Our Planet

“I am pleased to see the strong call to action emerge from amongst the scientific community. This exciting collaboration from microbiologists and microbiological societies across the world showcases ways in which microbes can help to protect our planet for future generations.,” said Professor Max Häggblom, Distinguished Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers University, and co-author and Editor-in-Chief of FEMS Microbiology Ecology. He continued, “This is not merely a plea for awareness about the climate crisis, but a demand for immediate, tangible steps that harness the power of microbiology to safeguard our planet.’’

Journals publishing the editorial concurrently:

FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Sustainable Microbiology, The ISME Journal, mSystems, Nature Microbiology, Nature Reviews Microbiology, Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, Nature Communications, Communications Biology, Communications Earth and Environment, npj Biodiversity, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, npj Climate Action, and npj Sustainable Agriculture

Authors of the editorial:

Raquel Peixoto, Christian R. Voolstra, Lisa Y. Stein, Philip Hugenholtz, Joana Falcao Salles, Shady A. Amin, Max Häggblom, Ann Gregory, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Fengping Wang, Nadège Adoukè Agbodjato, Yinzhao Wang, Nianzhi Jiao, Jay T. Lennon, Antonio Ventosa, Patrik M. Bavoil, Virginia Miller, and Jack A. Gilbert

The authors encourage all relevant initiatives, governments and stakeholders to reach out to: climate@isme-microbes.org