As the world faces the deepening climate crisis, with more extreme and frequent climate events causing widespread damage and loss, the scientific, engineering, and policy communities are in urgent need of innovative tools and opportunities to tackle the challenges posed by climate change. In response to this pressing need, the Engineering Biology Research Consortium has recently published a groundbreaking technical research roadmap titled "Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability." This comprehensive roadmap outlines short-, medium-, and long-term milestones for the advancement of engineering biology tools and technologies that can be applied to mitigate, prevent, and adapt to the devastating effects of climate change.
The roadmap, a collaborative effort by more than 90 contributors from 56 academic institutions, biotechnology companies, government laboratories, and other organizations, represents a significant step forward in addressing the climate crisis through the lens of engineering biology. It identifies six key themes in technologies and applications of engineering biology for climate change and environmental sustainability: Biosequestration of Greenhouse Gases, Mitigation of Environmental Pollution, Conservation of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Food & Agriculture, Transportation & Energy, and Materials Production & Industrial Processes. These themes encompass a wide range of potential solutions, from developing biosensors to monitor and detect pollutants to engineering microbes and plants for upcycling plastic waste and reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers.
One of the roadmap's primary focuses is the mitigation of environmental pollution through bioremediation, biosequestration, and biodegradation of contaminants in the environment and from point sources. For example, the roadmap envisions the development of biosensors compatible with digital infrastructure for rapid signaling and response in the short term, biosensors with dynamic range for field applications in the medium term, and autonomous biosensors capable of detecting and mitigating pollutants in the long term. Each milestone is accompanied by technical bottlenecks and potential solutions, highlighting the need for collaboration, fundamental science and engineering, and commercial realization to overcome these challenges.
While engineering biology is not the sole solution for sustainable growth and clean technology, it offers unique advantages that should be developed and applied in parallel with other methods and technologies. Engineered biological solutions can be more tenable for incorporation into natural environments and more enduring than traditional approaches. The roadmap emphasizes the potential of engineering biology to capture or recycle industrial off-gases and greenhouse gases, reduce plastic pollution, increase crop yields, and replace petroleum-based chemicals and materials with carbon-neutral or carbon-negative alternatives.
To realize the full potential of engineering biology solutions, the roadmap stresses the importance of considering them in local and regional contexts, with public input to ensure lower barriers to adoption and effectiveness. Fostering partnerships among the research community, industry, and policymakers will be crucial in finding solutions to sustainability bottlenecks, testing prototypes, consulting on scale-up, and creating and sustaining workforce development and education.
The roadmap also highlights the need for increased funding from governments for fundamental and applied research, as well as commercialization efforts of climate-related technologies. Policies and economic incentives that promote the use and adoption of genetically-modified or engineered biological organisms will be essential in driving the development and implementation of engineering biology solutions. Additionally, the roadmap emphasizes the importance of education and workforce development to facilitate and drive the growing bioindustry, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion to allow for diverse solutions to complex climate issues.
The Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability roadmap provides a comprehensive vision for the potential of engineering biology to revolutionize the way we address the climate crisis and ensure lasting sustainability. By seizing the opportunities outlined in the roadmap, companies, governments, and countries can become global leaders in combating the climate crisis and accelerating bioeconomy development. The roadmap serves as a clarion call for interdisciplinary research and global collaboration to solve the climate crisis while promoting sustainable growth through the transformative power of engineering biology.
