Climate Change and Microbes by Nidal Ershaidat

Climate change is the most serious challenge facing humanity. Microbes produce and consume three major greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Furthermore, some microbes cause human, animal, and plant diseases that can be exacerbated by climate change. Atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases increase over time due to various human and natural factors, such as the combustion of coal, oil, and other fossil fuels, the decay of plant matter, and biomass burning. Microorganisms provide both long-term and short-term feedback responses—both positive and negative—to global warming and climate change. Because they recycle and transform essential elements like carbon and nitrogen, microbes play a vital role as either producers or consumers of these environmental gases.

Biological methods for controlling greenhouse gas emissions are invaluable for nutrient recycling. Due to their amazingly versatile metabolism and ability to grow across a broad range of environmental conditions, diverse microbial ecosystems contribute significantly to controlling climate change and mitigating its negative impacts. Microorganisms easily perform the uptake, storage, and release of gases. Therefore, this book aims to answer two key questions: What role do microbes play in fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gases? And how will that role evolve within future mitigation options? In addition, this book discusses the role of microbes in agricultural management, specifically regarding climate change adaptation, greenhouse gas mitigation, and soil carbon storage.

Today, climate change and global warming represent major global problems that damage and destroy numerous biotic components. These shifts also affect microbial community structures, functions, and metabolic activities. To combat climate change, this book explores a variety of methods. For example, microorganisms and other biological components offer significant mitigation potential through proactive responses. Microorganisms serve wide-ranging functions, particularly in greenhouse gas treatment and reduction through nutrient recycling processes. They act as both generators and consumers of these gases in a balanced manner, helping to reduce environmental hazards caused by natural and anthropogenic activities.

Ultimately, biogeochemical cycles and climate change can never be viewed separately. Soil microbes play an essential role in virtually all ecosystem processes; microbial abundance and activity determine the sustainable productivity of agricultural lands, ecosystem resilience against nutrient mining, and the degradation of soil and water resources. Their activity is directly affected by environmental changes. In this context, climate change is a critical factor with the potential to alter the role of soil microbes, which are vital to supporting global agriculture. Although microorganisms are crucial in regulating climate change, they are rarely the focus of climate change studies and are seldom considered in policy development. Their immense diversity and varied responses to environmental change make determining their exact ecosystem role challenging. In this book, we illustrate the vital links between microorganisms, macroscopic organisms, and climate change.