SuppliedMicro-organisms are a small but crucial agent in both the creation and mitigation of climate change, according to Lisa Stein.
Stein is a professor in the department of biological sciences at the University of Alberta and the Canada Research Chair in Climate Change Microbiology. According to Stein, micro-organisms “are present, highly abundant, and are critically active in climate change.”
The greenhouse effect is a phenomenon in which gases in the atmosphere trap the Sun’s heat, causing the Earth’s temperature to increase over time. “Micro-organisms are involved in creating and removing greenhouse gases,” according to Stein.
“There’s three major greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. And unlike carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are almost entirely controlled by microbes,” Stein said.
”There is no solution without considering microbes,” Stein says
According to Stein, it is important to consider that methane contributes to about 25 to 30 per cent of climate warming right now.
As for nitrous oxide, it is produced by micro-organisms in soil that convert fertilizer into nitrate. This nitrate then goes through “denitrification.” This is the process in which microbes convert nitrate to nitrogen gas and nitrous oxide.
“Continuing to add fertilizers to the land will continue to increase the microbial contribution of this greenhouse gas to the atmosphere,” Stein said.
In the Lisa Y. Stein Laboratory, researchers are working on ways to use microbes to decrease the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. One solution could be to increase the activity of microbes so that they can consume methane before it is emitted to the atmosphere, Stein said.
According to Stein, another solution is figuring out how to use microbes to consume methane directly from the atmosphere. In terms of nitrogen, Stein and her team are trying to work out how to inhibit microbes from consuming fertilizer. This would give plants more access to nitrogen.
“Since methane and nitrous oxide are in the microbial world, we will not be able to solve the emissions of those two greenhouse gases without using microbiology. There is no solution without considering microbes.”
Stein states the importance of microbes in climate solutions
Stein gave several examples of how people can support microbes in reducing greenhouse gases. One way is by reducing one’s meat consumption. Lower demand for meat, namely beef, means lower total methane emissions, she said.
“The reason that cows are a source of methane is also microbial because it’s the microbes in the cow gut or the rumen that is making the methane that they burp out,” Stein said.
Another way is to turn towards and support agricultural practices that are rooted in sustainable principles, and avoid the use of fertilizers.
Stein stated the importance of acknowledging the role of microbes in climate solutions.
“Microbes are everywhere and impact our daily lives. From the way we digest our food, to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, to the products that we use on a day to day basis. It’s all microbial activities and we can’t get away from microbes. And so we might as well recognize them and put them to the best of use.”
