Climate Change

As the most abundant organisms on Earth, microorganisms make considerable contributions to, and are greatly affected by, a changing climate. Microbes are major drivers of elemental cycles (such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus), important producers and consumers of greenhouse gases, and pertinent pathogens of humans, animals and plants. It is critical to learn how the impacts of a changing climate will impact microbes and their relationships with humans and the environment. On April 22, 2022, the American Academy of Microbiology (Academy), the honorific leadership group of ASM, published a report based on the deliberations of experts who participated in a colloquium on November 2021. The Academy's Climate Change and Microbes Scientific Portfolio is a committment to continue focusing on understanding the relationship between microbes and climate change over the next 5 years.

Read Academy Colloquium Report

Attend Climate Change Session at Microbe

Cross disciplinary science is a necessary mindset to address issues related to climate change. Microbes play a critical role in mediating climate change but are often overlooked in scientific discussion. Thus, bringing microbes into climate conversations with other disciplines and sectors is a must. Learn more and meet experts in the field at ASM Microbe 2022. Join us on June 9 for a half-day mini conference in Washington, D.C. to discuss the report. On June 10, the Chair of the Academy Governors will invite distinguished experts in diverse scientific areas to discuss the current "hot" topics in climate change & microbes. Participants must be registered for Microbe to attend.

Perspective From James Tiedje

The Chair of the Steering Committee for the Academy colloquium report discusses how decadal shifts have influenced microbial ecology.

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Our Health, Our Action, Our Planet

ASM issues a call to action for microbiologists to engage in climate research.

Read the Editorial

Donate to the Academy Scientific Portfolio

Your financial contributions help support the Academy's critical work.

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Understanding the Problem

Microbes and Adaptation What Microbes Can Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

By learning how microbes have adapted to Earth's transformations over millions of years, scientists can harness those activities to inform sustainability issues.

Microbes and Environment Cyanobacteria Blankets of Doom: Causes and Effects of Toxic Blooms

Cyanobacterial blooms are on the rise owing to many factors, including climate change. Many species produce potent cyanotoxins that are harmful to animals, plants and humans and pose a serious threat to the environment.

Microbes and Health Rise of Candida Auris May be Blamed on Global Warming

Global warming may have played a pivotal role in the emergence of Candida auris, according to a new study published in mBio.

Microbes and Agriculture Unearthing the Soil Microbiome, Climate Change, Carbon Storage Nexus

The Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that due to human activity and climate change, soil erosion could result in between 20-80% losses in agricultural yields, depending on the soil.

Advocating for Climate Change Reform

Advocacy

Microbes and Society — Source: Robinson et al. 2022

ASM advocates for continued support for research and policies that facilitate the translation of microbial research to real-world, scalable solutions in renewable energy, water quality and sustainable ecosystems. These efforts will require Congressional support and interagency coordination on an unusually grand scale.

As ASM works with policymakers to ensure that science is front and center in policy approaches to climate change, we strongly encourage scientists to bring their expertise to bear on climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience.

Take Action: Contact Congress

Policy Statements

ASM Advocates for Scientific Solutions to Climate Change: ASM joined 48 fellow scientific societies in a letter urging Congress to act immediately on climate change with research and innovation.
The Role of Microbiology in Sustainable Development: ASM leadership hosted a virtual panel during the United Nations General Assembly Science Summit discussing the role and contribution of science to the attainment of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
ASM Recognizes Biden Administration’s Initial Steps To Address Climate Change

View Report Recommendations

Microbes and the environment — Source: Figure modified from Cavicchioli et al. 2019.

Microbes, Mitigation and Bioremediation

Article Microbes Help Regulate Greenhouse Gases

When carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean, photosynthetic bacteria and eukaryotes take it up and change it into biologically useful forms.

Article Microbes Make Biofuel

The economic challenges of making biofuels from agricultural biomass and the scaling up of production have been bottlenecks in the industry. Dave Bushong, Vice President of Research at POET, discusses how he has successfully built a biofuel production program.

Article Microbes Biodegrade Complex Products

Microbially mediated lignocellulose bioconversion of plant residues has exciting potential as a source of biofuel and other materials.

Article Microbes Can Generate Electricity

Electricigens are bacteria that possess the remarkable ability to generate electricity. Understanding the and harnessing this property, can have environmental, biotechnological and medical relevance.

Hear From Experts

Panel Discussion

Microbes are adept at adapting, surviving and thriving in extreme and constantly changing environments. ASM leadership hosted a virtual panel during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Science Summit discussing the role and contribution of science to the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs include 17 interconnecting global objectives identified by the UN as a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all" by 2030.

Microbes Are Critical to Soil Health

Microbes play a critical role in the functioning of soils, which are a key natural resource in adapting to and mitigating climate change.

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Podcasts

Mallory Choudoir, microbial ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst shares how she leverages microbial culture collections to infer ecological and evolutionary responses to warming soil temperature.

Sanghoon Kang, an assistant professor of biology at Baylor University, talks about the impacts of climate change on infectious diseases.

Wayne Curtis discusses engineering microbes for products like biofuel using the metabolically flexible bacterium Rhodobacter and other microorganisms.

Christine Foreman explains how microbes can survive and grow on glaciers, and what we can learn from microbes in glacier ice cores.

Climate Change Microbiology Research

mBio Article Microbes and Climate Change: A Research Prospectus for the Future

This mBio article presents a brief summary of what is known about microbial responses to climate change in 3 major ecosystems: terrestrial, ocean and urban; and provides suggestions for new research directions to reduce microbial greenhouse gases and mitigate microbes' pathogenic impacts.

Body of Work Climate Change & Microbes Scientific Portfolio

The Academy's 5-year scientific portfolio focuses on understanding the relationship between microbes and climate change.

Report Incorporating Microbial Processes Into Climate Models

This report provides suggestions to simplify complex community dynamics so that net inputs and outputs that accurately reflect reality can be incorporated into climate models.

ASM Journals Find Climate Change Research

Browse research papers and reviews on climate change across ASM's 18 academic journals.

Resources Climate Change