How can biotechnology stop global warming?

Answer 1

About 50 million years ago there was a freshwater arctic fern known as Azolla. It grew on the surface, but when it died it sank into the cold water, where it was covered and preserved. Over hundreds of thousands of years this fern pulled billions of tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere, causing earth to cool, and ultimately resulting in a long series of ice ages.

We could bioengineer a plant like Azolla to sequester gigatons of atmospheric CO2 for us now. But we might want something faster, and something that we could also easily shut down once we achieved the desired balance.

Answer 2

Biotechnology can help address global warming by developing technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as biofuels that can replace fossil fuels. Biotechnology can also help enhance carbon sequestration through methods like genetic engineering of plants to store more carbon in the soil. Additionally, biotechnology can play a role in developing more sustainable agricultural practices to help mitigate climate change.