Nature: Harness microbes for humanity’s future
Editorial Board

“…In a Consensus Statement published in Nature Reviews Microbiology, 33 leading microbiologists from around the world ‘put humanity on notice’ that the impact of climate change will depend heavily on the response of microorganisms … The Consensus Statement provides for the first time a consolidated global view of the reciprocal effects of microorganisms and climate change. It emphasizes the potential of harnessing microbes to mitigate global warming … Microbiologists have been poorly represented in advisory and executive committees that decide on global environmental and public health policies. Their expertise and advice must be included to help prioritize future actions to mitigate climate change. The statement authors call for microbiology to be integrated into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. (Only one, on good health, explicitly lists microorganisms in its targets and indicators.) As the most abundant organisms on the planet, it’s time that microbes were given more prominence” (6/18).