MICROBES AND CLIMATE

Iris Bertani, research associate laboratorio di Batteriologia ICGEB

Heribert Insam, microbiologo BioTreaT GmbH e Science Center MikroMondo

Fabio De Pascale, comunicatore scientifico Università di Padova

Global concerns of the negative effects of human activities on climate are not new, but even when brought to the attention of a wider audience, such as through songs, they have often gone unheeded. How can scientific research help solve the challenges of a growing population and climate change? One way is to recover and make land healthier and more cultivable. Science can help manage soil and agricultural resources more sustainably in several ways, including by enhancing the microorganisms that colonise soils-particularly those that live symbiotically with plant roots. Many of these could help crops grow better under stress conditions, that is, where there is less water and high salinity, and restore and correct the exchanges between soil, atmosphere and water that are so important for climate. The panel will discuss the topic, highlighting the CEDRIC project, which aims to create a sustainable transboundary agroecosystem by leveraging the biodiversity of the root microbiome.