Ramos Juan-Luis, Segura Ana
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Granada, Spain.
Microb Biotechnol. 2024 Mar;17(3):e14434. doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.14434.
Our planet, which operates as a closed system, is facing increasing entropy due to human activities such as the overexploitation of natural resources and fossil fuel use. The COP28 in Dubai emphasized the urgency to abandon fossil fuels, recognizing them as the primary cause of human-induced environmental changes, while highlighting the need to transition to renewable energies. We promote the crucial role of microbes for sustaining biogenic cycles to combat climate change and the economic potential of synthetic biology tools for producing diverse non-fossil fuels and chemicals, thus contributing to emission reduction in transport and industry. The shift to 'green chemistry' encounters challenges, derived from the availability of non-food residues and waste (mainly lignocellulosic) as raw material, the construction of cost-effective bioprocessing plants, product recovery from fermentation broths and the utilization of leftover lignin residues for synthesizing new chemicals, aligning with circular economy and sustainable development goals. To meet the Paris Agreement goals, an urgent global shift to low-carbon, renewable sources is imperative, ultimately leading to the cessation of our reliance on fossil fuels.
我们的星球作为一个封闭系统运行，由于自然资源过度开发和化石燃料使用等人类活动，正面临着熵增加剧的问题。在迪拜举行的第28届联合国气候变化大会强调了摒弃化石燃料的紧迫性，将其视为人类活动导致环境变化的主要原因，同时突出了向可再生能源转型的必要性。我们倡导微生物在维持生物地球化学循环以应对气候变化方面的关键作用，以及合成生物学工具在生产多种非化石燃料和化学品方面的经济潜力，从而有助于减少交通和工业领域的排放。向“绿色化学”的转变面临挑战，这些挑战源于作为原材料的非食品残渣和废物（主要是木质纤维素）的可获得性、经济高效的生物处理厂的建设、从发酵液中回收产品以及利用剩余木质素残渣合成新化学品，这与循环经济和可持续发展目标相一致。为实现《巴黎协定》的目标，全球迫切需要向低碳、可再生能源转型，最终停止我们对化石燃料的依赖。
