Microbes hold the key to combating climate disaster, say scientists
Global microbiology organisations including Applied Microbiology International (AMI) have called for urgent action to put microbes at the heart of climate change mitigation, in a high-level panel discussion chaired by AMI Chief Executive, Dr Lucy Harper.
The session at FEMS MICRO Milan 2025 this summer brought together leading experts to highlight the untapped potential of microbial science in tackling the climate crisis.
The event built on several years of work across the global microbiology community, including most recently, an unprecedented initiative in November 2024, when 14 journals* published a simultaneous call to action urging deployment of microbial strategies across six key areas: carbon sequestration, methane oxidation, bioenergy production, bioremediation, microbiome therapies, and nitrogen management. Backed by four learned societies and three publishers, the campaign represented the voices of more than 100,000 microbiologists worldwide.
Dr Harper opened the session by stressing the urgency of translating knowledge into policy and practice.
“Microbes are central to the Earth’s systems — from soils and oceans to our own bodies,” she said. “They are already shaping the climate, and with the right investment and collaboration, they could be a powerful part of the solution.”
High-profile panellists
High-profile panellists included Professor Janet Janssen, whose research explores microbial processes in permafrost; Dr Nguyen K. Nguyen, a leader in microbial biotechnology; and Professor Max Haggblom, an authority on microbial communities in extreme environments.
The panel identified methane mitigation as one of the most immediate opportunities. “Methane is far more potent than CO₂ but shorter-lived in the atmosphere,” said Dr Nguyen. “If we target methane now, we buy vital time to address longer-term carbon challenges.”
However, panellists pointed to barriers to progress, including the absence of microbial science from key frameworks such as IPCC reports, the need for more effective science communication, and the challenge of embedding microbial solutions into agricultural and industrial practice.
Learned societies
Looking ahead, the role of learned societies was a central theme. “No single organisation can solve this alone,” said Professor Haggblom. “We need unified, global collaboration — across microbiology, other scientific disciplines, and with policymakers.”
AMI has already taken steps towards this effort, launching a Climate Action Advisory Group and joining forces with partner societies including the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) (FEMS), the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) and others to shape a global strategy on microbial climate change mitigation.
Dr Harper closed the session with a clear call to action: “The microbial sciences offer scalable, evidence-based solutions. Now we must work together — across societies, nations, and disciplines — to ensure those solutions are deployed in time.”
* The call to action was published simultaneously in Sustainable Microbiology, The ISME Journal, mSystems, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 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.
