Fighting climate change with microbes

CO2-eating microbes, severe risks in the Mediterranean, and how to cut food emissions

A few weeks ago, I talked about how historic buildings can be retrofitted with solar panels and heat pumps - and I have an update to share!

Historic England just announced they will now be encouraging local councils to allow heat pumps, solar panels and insulation for Europe’s oldest housing stock. It’s estimated these buildings make up about 5 percent of the UK’s carbon emissions - so this is a big deal.

GOOD NEWS

In the Mediterranean Sea, scientists have discovered a type of cyanobacteria that consumes carbon dioxide "astonishingly quickly." According to the BBC, they live in underwater hydrothermal vents near a volcanic island fittingly named Vulcano.

These microbes are "hyper-efficient at consuming CO2 through photosynthesis," said Braden Tierney, executive director of the Two Frontiers Project, the organization that led the research. Although there’s a long way to go, he is hopeful that one day, these can be used in carbon capture at scale.

This isn't the only way bacteria can help; scientists have also found microbes that can consume plastic; that, if embedded into plastic, can cause it to self-destruct; and that can consume methane, the second most important heat-trapping gas we emit.

These discoveries highlight the incredible potential of nature to solve so many of the problems we've created - and how much we have yet to learn!

NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS

The Mediterranean basin has already experienced 1.5° C of warming, and as the world warms it is increasingly beset by droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, and more. Extreme heat has killed at least six tourists in Greece; Tunisia has been battling persistent drought for more than 5 years; and the island of Sicily is currently in the throes of its worst drought in 30 years.

“If we don’t get forage and we don’t get water we will have to slaughter them all,” Luca Cammarata, a goat farmer in Sicily, told the New York Times. The island's only natural lake, Lake Pergusa, dried up this summer. “The lake is no longer there. The part of the water that was visible has completely disappeared, apart from this puddle,” Giuseppe Maria Amato of environmentalist group Legambiente told the Independent.

Severe drought puts not only animals but also people, livelihoods, and the local economy at risk. As AP News reports, “Nobody can cope with water shortage better than southern Sicilians,” said Salvatore Cocina, who has the hard task of coordinating what little water is left on the island…but increasingly, even residents of this drought prone area are finding it harder and harder to cope with the impacts of a warming world.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Did you know that what we eat and how we eat it has a big impact on climate? Eating more plants and cutting food waste are two big steps most people can take to cut their personal and household emissions.

Now that it’s summer, there are so many options at the local farmers market for fresh veggies and fruit. Why not try a new recipe? The Plant-Based School has a list of 40 summer recipes for 2024. Or if you prefer to watch a video instead of reading a recipe, here’s a collection of the top plant-based recipes from TikTok.

And of course, don’t forget to tell others so they can try it too! You can also share how you’re shopping differently to save money and eliminate waste, or how much you love your new countertop composter (like my aunt did, last time I visited her!). When we share individual climate solutions with our friends and family, they can become contagious and magnify our impact many times over.