Scientists Genetically Modifying Plants To Save The Planet
There are many potential technological solutions for Earth’s growing climate crisis, but what if the best solution was actually something much more natural? The idea of modifying plants to give them fantastic abilities may sound like something Dr. Moreau came up with over his morning coffee, but this very real notion is something scientists are currently exploring. Researchers are exploring how to create “carbon-guzzling trees and crops” that have been “genetically altered to boost photosynthesis and store carbon in the roots,” a solution that “could absorb millions” of tons of CO2 from our atmosphere.
To decelerate climate change, scientists are attempting to create genetically altered plants that can absorb more carbon than regular plants.
Genetically modifying plants is a very big swing when it comes to saving the planet, and the company holding this particular bat is the “climate biotech firm” Living Carbon. CEO and cofounder Maddie Hall has helped create approximately 100 lines of “mother trees,” and her company is currently focused on “making them better at absorbing carbon dioxide.”
Cuttings from the mother tree have been used to improve Living Carbon’s understanding of its genetic modifications and, in some cases, have been sent “to nurseries for larger-scale production.”
While the very notion of genetically engineering plants to absorb carbon dioxide sounds like something out of science fiction, Living Carbon is already conducting active experiments to discover how effective their climate solution really is.
The team ambitiously plans to plant about four million trees (or 6,000 acres) by the end of Spring 2024, but if they could increase that to four million acres by 2030, Living Carbon could theoretically reduce 1.6% of current global CO2 emissions.
Such experiments include planting “four of its leading lines… on private land in Georgia and Ohio as pilot projects to monitor their carbon sequestration.” In addition to hopefully saving the planet, this is a real win/win for all involved: Living Carbon gets to sell carbon removal credits, and the landowners are getting paid handsomely for the use of their land.
How, though, do Living Carbon’s genetically engineered plants actually absorb carbon dioxide? One part of the process is actually quite simple: by doing its best to make the plants’ photosynthesis more efficient, the company can ensure that its own plants absorb more CO2 than an unmodified plant.
Since plants are already designed to absorb CO2 via photosynthesis, it’s fair to say that Living Carbon is trying to supercharge a natural process rather than trying to get the plants to do something dramatically different than they otherwise would.
Optimistically, Living Carbon hopes to develop plants “that will be able to stabilize about 30% of the carbon that gets fixed from the air in the soil.”
In terms of effectiveness, Living Carbon’s big experiment has shown some promising results: the company published a paper in April that reported “its modified poplars increased in biomass by 35-53% over its controls, equivalent to removing 17-27% more CO2 from the air.” This led to Living Carbon filing new patents as well as initiating a field trial at the University of Oregon in which they hope to confirm the results with an experiment involving 600 trees.
The team ambitiously plans to plant about four million trees (or 6,000 acres) by the end of Spring 2024, but if they could increase that to four million acres by 2030, Living Carbon could theoretically reduce 1.6% of current global CO2 emissions.
However, the company is still working out the finer details of things like making the trees “store more carbon below ground for longer” (this is important because decomposing trees end up releasing CO2 back in the atmosphere). Other experiments include making crops with larger roots that can better penetrate the soil and “produce more of a carbon-rich polymer called suberin,” all of which can further reduce CO2.
Optimistically, Living Carbon hopes to develop plants “that will be able to stabilize about 30% of the carbon that gets fixed from the air in the soil.” However, this grand experiment has yet to be proven on a very large scale. As for us, we’re just hoping if these genetically engineered plants end up trying to kill us instead of saving the planet, The Happening star Mark Wahlberg will step up and help lead the human resistance.
