Scientists claim that most climate models do not account for bacteria.
The human body contains more germs than individuals on the planet.
The microscopic organisms aid in food digestion, remove pollutants, and may even aid in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite being essential to life, some scientists argue that bacteria are not included in models or solutions related to climate change, and this has to change.
Anything living that we cannot see without a microscope is referred to as a microbe, also known as a microorganism. This includes bacteria, fungus, and viruses.
According to Lisa Stein, a microbiologist at the University of Alberta, “they support all life on Earth.”
“Without them, we would definitely be dead.”
Methane, a gas that is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the planet over a 20-year period, is produced by microbes as part of their assistance in controlling the nitrogen and carbon cycles.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, methane concentrations in the atmosphere have more than doubled within the past 200 years.
But unlike carbon dioxide, which can remain in the atmosphere for centuries, the gas only lasts for around ten years before rapidly disappearing.
Methane emissions from natural gas and oil systems, landfills, agriculture, coal mining, and wastewater treatment are examples of human-influenced methane emission sources.
A draft plan has been presented by the federal government of Canada to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector by over 75% by the year 2030.
Although reducing industrial methane emissions is crucial, Stein pointed out that there are other sources of the greenhouse gas.
“The emissions of methane will not be stopped by this. Given that most of those sources are dependent on land usage, probably not at all,” she remarked.
Wetlands contribute around one-third of all methane emissions, based on NASA mapping data.
Wetlands are carbon sinks because of their permafrost and wet soils. However, marsh soils warm up in tandem with the temperature or even flood when permafrost melts, releasing extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as methane.
