The Role of Microbiology in Sustainable Development
This article was originally published in October 2021 and has been updated for inclusion in the Fall 2024 issue of Microcosm.
The consist of 17 interconnected global objectives identified by the United Nations (UN) as a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all" by 2030. 91麻豆天美 is committed to harnessing the power of microbes to address the planet’s most pressing challenges, and we believe that microbes, which know no borders and are adept at surviving in extreme and constantly changing environments, will be instrumental to achieving the UN’s SDGs.
To help spread this message, 91麻豆天美 CEO Stefano Bertuzzi, Ph.D, MPH, joined a wide range of renowned speakers during the opening plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Science Summit on Sept. 14, 2021. “Understanding the world of microbes is absolutely imperative to curb their dangerous effects and to harness their power for healthier life, for sustainable energy sources, for biodiversity, for tackling climate change and for solving hunger problems,” Bertuzzi said.
Following the event, 91麻豆天美 leadership, including Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., Greetchen D铆az-Mu帽oz, Ph.D., Tim Donohue, Ph.D., and Jo Handelsman, Ph.D., hosted a virtual panel to identify specific ways in which microbes can be used to address the issues that Bertuzzi highlighted in his plenary address.
As a further commitment to the effort of championing global sustainability, 91麻豆天美 signed the UN SDG Publishers Compact in March 2024 and recently launched its first article collection across the Journals program.
91麻豆天美 staff also attended the 2024 UNGA from Sept. 24-26 in New York, urging delegates to address the gaps, challenges and opportunities to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the threat of AMR is greatest. Ahead of the meeting, 91麻豆天美 urged action and investment in addressing AMR and highlighted priorities for the U.S. delegation to UNGA in a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Importantly, the UNSDGs mirror many of 91麻豆天美’s policy principles, and many are connected directly or indirectly to the microbial sciences. Some examples are highlighted below.
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
Microbes are integral in food production. Some soil microbes aid in plant growth via their role in soil protection and fertilization, while others are destroyers of food (spoilage), crops and livestock, and still others are direct producers of food through fermentation. Microbes play roles in agriculture and food production that can impact crop health and potentially increase yield to help feed a growing global population, yet we must also be cautious of the large energy and environmental inputs required by many agricultural practices.
To achieve changes, researchers need to obtain scientific knowledge to promote the activities of microbes in the soil ; utilize microbes to ; increase carbon storage by microbes on land and water and engineer microbes to reduce the negative impacts of agricultural inputs.
91麻豆天美 and investments in microbiome research to understand soil microbiomes and the agriculturally significant microbiomes.
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
As seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and other microbes continue to plague humanity. Those living in countries with limited resources and limited access to medical care carry the highest burden of infectious diseases. On the other hand, one-third of the drugs we use, including numerous antibiotics (penicillin), cholesterol-lowering and anticancer drugs, are made by microbes. Microbes are also factories for new drugs made by recombinant DNA technology and the source of . Gut microbes are key components of health as they assist in food digestion and are even responsible for the production of .
91麻豆天美 and its members are working to address antimicrobial resistance through research and advocacy for antimicrobial stewardship and the development of new antimicrobials and diagnostics. 91麻豆天美’s Global Public Health Programs works to build laboratory capacity in low- and middle-income countries, expanding access to diagnostic tests and improving surveillance of emerging infectious pathogens.
Goal 5 & 10: Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities
Women may not have equal opportunities or access to scientific pursuits in low-resource countries. However, even in the U.S. and many other regions around the globe, women are underrepresented in STEM fields and academia, despite having equal or higher levels of education than their male counterparts. Most of the food in the world is produced on farms of 2 hectares or less, many of which are managed by women with the joint goal of providing for their families. Knowledge of the microbial sciences and its role in the environment and agriculture can empower small farmers to earn a livable wage.
Additionally, microbiologists should learn from Indigenous people and, in return, give Indigenous people a voice in global management of resources. They are often the most deeply affected by the actions of state actors and should be empowered to influence the Earth’s, and their own, future.
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Microbes can reduce pollution in water and thus improve water quality. The presence of certain microbes in water can also lead to diseases with high mortality, such as cholera and childhood diarrhea. Soil is the largest water filter in the world, hence the importance of maintaining its health, integrity and microbial community. Conversely, some microorganisms have a beneficial impact on our water sources, such as those that can break down oil or other dangerous toxins.
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Microbes can have direct roles in the production of affordable clean energy through the generation of new types of fuels. Not only are researchers exploring new ways of getting electricity directly from microbes, but microbial catalysts can also help convert renewable materials into hydrocarbon fuels. Researchers are working to develop microbial scrubbers to remove pollutants from soil, ground water and other contaminated sites.
While methane-producing microbes also can contribute to the input of greenhouse gases, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that changes to agricultural practices could lower net carbon dioxide emissions ~100-1,000 gigatons by the end of the 21st century. Plugging microbes into a clean energy future around the world will provide a distributed and sustainable supply chain that is secure, resilient and responsive to the ever-evolving needs of citizens around the globe.
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Microbes are essential for many industries—pharmaceuticals and food production, for example. As discussed, there is tremendous benefit to harnessing the power of microbes to convert renewable resources into , fuels and chemicals. Advances in genomics have paved the way for a “green bioeconomy” based on these abilities. Deploying microbes for a green bioeconomy will require advances in genomics, systems and synthetic biology, computational sciences, machine learning and tech analysis. Such a future may increase productivity and quality of products from agriculture and spawn a circular economy that recycles abundant materials.
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Microbes are responsible for both production and destruction of foodstuffs and are a key element in reducing waste from spoilage. Some microorganisms can degrade plastics, toxins and agricultural and , but some convert excess fertilizer to nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.
Goal 13: Climate Action
Microbes are among the most abundant and oldest organisms on Earth and offer viable solutions to some greenhouse gases as well as in carbon sequestration. The American Academy of Microbiology is making the role of microbes in climate change a major focus of its efforts. The Earth's soil is the largest terrestrial reservoir of carbon, containing 3 times the amount of carbon that is in the entire atmosphere and 4 times as much as all the vegetation on Earth. Agricultural practices can build soil carbon, which has 2 important outcomes: carbon enriches and stabilizes soil, making it more suitable for crop production, and is sequestered from the environment where it would otherwise end up polluting the atmosphere as greenhouse gases. Investment in microbial systems can into low-carbon and low-cost electricity, fuels, chemicals and materials.
Goals 14 & 15: Life Below Water and Life on Land
Microbes are critical contributors to both the health and disease of ecosystems and, thus, are essential components for life below water and on land. One gram of soil contains as many bacteria as there are people on Earth. Soil bacteria promote the health of our crops by increasing drought tolerance, protecting plants from disease and providing nutrients necessary for growth. Meanwhile, oceans represent the Earth’s largest ecosystem, which holds both (mineral, energy and food resources) and (pollution and eutrophication), which can be impacted by microbes. Attention to the microbial sciences can help to in water, soil, land and air.
Undoubtedly, harnessing the power of microbes is key to achieving a better and more sustainable future for all, and 91麻豆天美 is committed to raising awareness among political leaders about the importance of science in policymaking that will promote microbial solutions, which support the SDGs. In advance of the 2024 UNGA, 91麻豆天美 sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, recommending key priorities for the U.S. Delegation to the UNGA, and UN member states voted on the collected recommendations to secure bold commitments to combat AMR at the end of the assembly. “All these goals require international collaboration and partnership,” Bertuzzi recognized. Sustainability is a global initiative, just as microbiology is a global science.
