The important role of microbes in mediating climate change

Summary: Background: It is difficult to imagine two fields more different in their methods, tools, and objectives than climate science and microbiology, and yet there is a vital connection between these two endeavors. Microbes are critical players in every geochemical cycle relevant to climate, including carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and others. However, microbes are often forgotten or less accounted for in the biological processes related to climate change. In the past decades, even though research efforts to understand the evolving relationship between climate change and microbes and, subsequently, human well-being have been promoted, the gaps in knowledge and the connections between the two fields remain unfilled. With proper coordination and emphasis, the enormous knowledge and resources present in both fields can be appropriately leveraged to bring faster, cheaper, and scalable climate solutions. The American Academy of Microbiology (Academy), an honorific leadership group & scientific think-tank at ASM, has set a strategy to focus on building a scientific portfolio on the topic of climate change, microbiology, and human well-being. The portfolio aims to elucidate the trio’s dynamic to bring concrete solutions and deliver impacts on society. This effort also urges researchers worldwide and in diverse disciplines to collaborate and develop solutions for the climate crisis that threatens our environment and human lives in a timely manner. Our Vision and Goals: By actively engaging in the scientific activities and dialogs about climate change & microbiology, the Academy will contribute to shaping the scientific direction of microbial ecology R&D; inform climate-related policies, funding & regulations; connect critical stakeholders in and outside the academic community to accelerate the translation of science into practical solutions; and become a trusted source for scientific information on the topic of climate change & microbiology. A particular focus of the Academy’s portfolio will be to ensure that climate change initiatives and remediation processes explicitly integrate the central role of microorganisms. In other words, our vision is that microbes will be an active component of all climate change conversations. As the scientific community aims to build systemic resilience to withstand the impacts of climate change, microbiologists will be active contributors to climate change solutions. Our Strategy: Leveraging the strengths of the colloquium program and our convening power, the Academy will host a series of colloquia, workshops, and symposia with experts in different fields to discuss and build a scientific framework to support the academic, policy, and business communities to tackle climate change. Using the hub and spoke model, the portfolio will engage with partners from different scientific expertise and sectors to examine the science from concepts to practical solutions.

Sector: Scientific Society
Organization: American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
POC: Nguyen Nguyen, nnguyen@asmusa.org