3 major impacts of sustainable bioscience (on all of you)
Sometimes it is easy to get demotivated by all the negative news that surrounds us. For instance, the World Meteorological Organization reports that 2015-2025 was the hottest period on record, with 2025 reaching 1.43 °C above the 1850-1900 average and more extreme events such as heavy rainfall and tropical cyclones. Of course you can just ignore all this negativity. However, I am too optimistic for that and think it is better to choose action.
The great thing about being a biologist, which I am, is that you can help solve many of the problems that humans are facing due to climate change. Humans depend on ecosystem services such as crop pollination, water filtration, carbon storage, and soil fertility, all of which have biological components and are therefore withing the realm of biology. Sustainable bioscience goes further by including humans within these systems, studying how the Earth functions and how people interact with it to tackle environmental challenges and build a more resilient future.
Perhaps you think: “that is all great, but how does sustainable bioscience affect me?” I will give you the three most important impacts it has.
Halt biodiversity loss
Earth’s ecosystem services emerged over billions of years through interactions among geochemical processes and ecosystem-building by microbes, plants and animals. Human-driven degradation now threatens this evolved equilibrium. Biologists investigate the evolution and ecology of biodiversity that form the building blocks of our habitable planet. They can use that knowledge to prevent further losses and help restore ecosystems and their services to full functioning.
Ensure food security
Climate change is a major driver of food insecurity, disrupting food chains and reducing supplies through heat, extreme weather, and damage to staple crops. Pollinator losses, pests, and diseases further worsen yields. Biologists can use gene editing and their knowledge of biologicals and natural products to modify or use crops in ways that were not done before. In this way, they create the crops of the future and help combat food insecurity.
Healthy sustainable food
Each stage of the food system produces greenhouse gases that drive climate change. Animal-based foods usually have the highest emissions; plant-based foods generally require less energy, land, and water, and output less greenhouse gasses. Biologists develop such sustainable, plant-based diets. Since diet choice is far more important than how far food has travelled or is packaged, their work is a powerful way to improve human and planetary health.
As you can see sustainable bioscience is a critical tool in tackling global sustainability challenges and create a healthy future for humans and the planet. Do you want to be part of this transition? Come and study with us and you will learn all the things you need to be able to do so!
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Author
R.H.J. Erkens
I have 25 years of experience in university education, research and policy. My career has been mainly education focussed and I have been involved in the development, (re)accreditation and running of several bachelor and master programmes. Next to this, I developed and taught many different educational modules, on topics such as evolutionary biology, general botany, tropical biology, philosophy of science, and field skills and landscape evolution.
