Climate change is often framed in terms of smokestacks, fossil fuels and melting ice caps. And rightly so. Industrial activity remains the primary driver of rising greenhouse gases. But beneath this visible crisis lies an invisible majority quietly shaping the future of our planet.
Microbes.
There are an estimated 10³⁰ bacteria and archaea on Earth — a number so vast it defies comprehension. They live in soil, oceans, air, deep beneath the Earth’s crust and inside every plant, animal and human. They regulate the carbon cycle, influence methane and nitrous oxide emissions, govern soil fertility and buffer ocean acidity. Without them, life would not exist.
And yet, when we talk about climate change, microbes are rarely centre stage.
At microbz, we see this differently. If we are to protect the future of people and planet, we must understand, and work with, the microbial world.
The climate–microbe connection
Microbes drive the carbon cycle
Microorganisms sit at the heart of the global carbon cycle. They break down plant matter, store carbon in soils and release carbon dioxide (CO₂) through respiration. Marine microbes, especially phytoplankton, are responsible for around half of global photosynthesis, drawing CO₂ from the atmosphere and forming the base of the ocean food web.
Recent research published in Nature Reviews Microbiology emphasises that microbial responses to warming temperatures will significantly influence how much carbon soils release in the coming decades. As temperatures rise, microbial metabolism accelerates. That can mean more CO₂ released from soils, which is a feedback loop that further drives warming.
But microbes are not simply villains in this story. They are also powerful allies.
Healthy soils rich in microbial diversity store more carbon. Regenerative agricultural systems that support soil microbiomes have been shown to increase soil carbon stocks and resilience.
This is soil-to-stomach thinking on a planetary scale.
Methane: microbes both produce and consume it
Methane is over 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period. It is produced by methanogenic archaea in wetlands, rice paddies and the digestive systems of ruminants. But other microbes called methanotrophs consume methane, acting as a natural biological filter.
Climate change disrupts this balance.
Warming Arctic soils are thawing permafrost, exposing ancient organic matter to microbial decomposition. Studies from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and published in Nature Climate Change (2022–2024) show that microbial activity in thawing permafrost significantly increases methane emissions.
Again, it comes back to microbial ecology. Balance determines outcome.
Nitrous oxide and the nitrogen cycle
Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is the third most important greenhouse gas and a major ozone-depleting substance. A 2023 assessment led by the University of East Anglia and published in Nature Climate Change reported that agricultural soils are now the dominant source of human-driven N₂O emissions.
The key players? Soil microbes.
Through processes called nitrification and denitrification, microbes convert nitrogen fertilisers into various forms, including N₂O. When soils are compacted, waterlogged or overloaded with synthetic inputs, microbial pathways shift toward higher emissions.
Encouragingly, microbiome-informed agricultural practices are emerging as mitigation tools. Research in Frontiers in Microbiology highlights that managing soil microbial diversity can reduce N₂O emissions while improving crop productivity.
Healthy soil is climate-smart soil.
Ocean microbes and acidification
The ocean absorbs roughly 25–30% of human made CO₂ emissions. Marine microbes are central to what is known as the biological carbon pump. This is a process by which carbon is fixed through photosynthesis and transported to the deep ocean.
However, rising CO₂ increases ocean acidity. A 2023 study in Science examining global marine microbial communities found that acidification shifts microbial composition, potentially altering nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration.
The concern is not just about coral reefs or fish stocks. It is about the microbial engine that regulates Earth’s climate system.
If microbial communities are destabilised, the knock-on effects cascade upward through every higher lifeform.
Microbes in climate solutions
Climate science is not only about measuring damage. It is about designing solutions.
And microbes are increasingly part of that conversation.
Engineering microbes to capture CO₂
In 2019, scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science successfully engineered Escherichia coli to use CO₂ as its sole carbon source. Since then, synthetic biology research, from MIT and the University of Cambridge, has continued exploring microbial carbon capture systems.
While still experimental, these technologies suggest a future where microbes could help convert atmospheric carbon into biofuels, bioplastics or food.
It is early-stage. But it shows what is possible when we understand microbial metabolism deeply.
Microbial biotechnology to reduce nitrous oxide
Research published in Microbial Biotechnology and updated through 2023 demonstrates that manipulating soil microbiomes or introducing N₂O-reducing bacteria could significantly reduce emissions.
Similarly, biofilters using specialised bacteria are being developed to remove nitrous oxide from industrial exhaust streams.
The principle remains simple: restore balance in microbial systems and emissions fall.
Climate-smart agriculture and soil microbiomes
Agriculture contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet it also offers one of the most powerful mitigation opportunities.
Climate-smart agriculture integrates:
- Reduced synthetic fertiliser use
- Diverse crop rotations
- Cover cropping
- Reduced tillage
- Organic matter restoration
Research from Rothamsted Research and the University of Sheffield’s Grantham Centre indicates that regenerative systems improve soil microbial diversity and increase soil carbon sequestration.
Microbes are not passive. They respond to how we farm.
When soils are biologically alive, they store more carbon, cycle nutrients efficiently and require fewer external inputs. This reduces emissions while increasing resilience to extreme weather.
Healthy soil. Healthy plants. Healthy people.
Living materials: the future of construction
The construction industry accounts for nearly 40% of global energy-related emissions.
One emerging innovation is “living concrete” — bioengineered building materials incorporating photosynthetic cyanobacteria such as Synechococcus species. Research from the University of Colorado Boulder and other institutions shows these materials can self-repair and sequester carbon during production.
It may sound futuristic, but microbial biomaterials could significantly lower the carbon footprint of infrastructure.
Nature has been building efficiently for billions of years. We are only just learning how to collaborate.
Why microbial diversity matters more than ever
Loss of biodiversity is widely reported; bees, birds, forests. But microbial biodiversity loss is largely invisible.
Recent metagenomic analyses published in Nature Communications reveal that land-use change and pollution significantly reduce soil microbial diversity. Lower diversity correlates with reduced ecosystem resilience.
In other words, microbial simplification makes ecosystems more fragile.
The same is true inside the human gut. Diversity confers resilience. Ecological imbalance creates vulnerability.
The parallels between planetary health and gut health are not poetic. They are biological.
Microbes: the missing variable in climate models
Historically, climate models focused primarily on physical processes; atmospheric chemistry, ocean currents, ice albedo. Increasingly, microbial processes are being integrated.
A 2024 review in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment highlights the need to include microbial functional responses in predictive models, particularly for soil carbon feedbacks.
Understanding how microbial communities respond to warming, drought and extreme weather is critical to predicting future emissions accurately.
We cannot solve climate change without accounting for the invisible majority.
What this means for us
At microbz, our philosophy has always been simple: join forces with nature.
Climate resilience begins in the soil. It continues through the food we grow and the microbes we ingest. It extends into how we build, farm and consume.
When we protect microbial ecosystems:
- Soil stores more carbon
- Crops become more resilient
- Fertiliser dependence drops
- Oceans regulate carbon more effectively
- Greenhouse gas emissions decline
This is not abstract science. It is ecological literacy.
The microbial revolution is not just about gut health. It is about planetary health.
References
IPCC (2021) Sixth Assessment Report. Geneva: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Smith, P. et al. (2020) ‘Land management to mitigate climate change’, Nature, 585, pp. 351–364.
UN Environment Programme (2023) 2023 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction.
Recent updates:
University of East Anglia (2023) Global nitrous oxide assessment, Nature Climate Change.
Nature Communications (2023) Soil microbial diversity and land use change.
Science (2023) Marine microbial responses to ocean acidification.
Nature Reviews Earth & Environment (2024) Microbial feedbacks in climate modelling.
