The environmental microbiome is facing a series of stresses that have passed the tipping point with pertinent examples including microplastic infestation and desertification. What if we could use microbes on an environmental scale to improve the fabric of this microbiome? Prof Victor de Lorenzo proposes that for the problems in which simply relieving the pressure is not enough, large-scale bioremediation solutions should be employed. We discuss the main challenges in scaling these solutions from lab to field, consider the interdisciplinary earth systems approaches needed to overcome them and how we could use science and technology to reimagine the biosphere.
The environmental microbiome is facing a series of stresses that have passed the tipping point with pertinent examples including microplastic infestation and desertification. What if we could use microbes on an environmental scale to improve the fabric of this microbiome? Prof Victor de Lorenzo proposes that for the problems in which simply relieving the pressure is not enough, large-scale bioremediation solutions should be employed. We discuss the main challenges in scaling these solutions from lab to field, consider the interdisciplinary earth systems approaches needed to overcome them and how we could use science and technology to reimagine the biosphere.