How Synthetic Biology Will Help Us Build a Sustainable Future | Stephen Wallace | TEDxVienna

Summary

This talk explores the environmental impacts of industries reliant on fossil fuels, particularly clothing and pharmaceuticals, which contribute significantly to global carbon emissions. The speaker proposes a transformative solution through synthetic biology, where microorganisms are programmed to create vital chemicals like adipic acid from sustainable resources such as lignin. This approach eliminates fossil fuel reliance, reduces emissions, and offers a cleaner, greener alternative for manufacturing. The vision is a future where industries harness nature’s own processes to create everything from clothing to medicine, paving the way for a more sustainable world with minimal waste and environmental harm.

Takeaways

• 😀 Two-thirds of the clothing we wear today are made from fossil fuels, contributing to significant pollution.
• 😀 80% of the clothing we own will end up in a landfill in the next 5-10 years, further harming the environment.
• 😀 The clothing industry is one of the most polluting industries worldwide, emitting nearly 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
• 😀 Many medicines, including over-the-counter drugs like paracetamol, are derived from fossil fuels, with 70 of the top 100 pharmaceuticals being fossil fuel-based.
• 😀 The modern world relies heavily on fossil fuels to manufacture everyday products, and this dependency is accelerating.
• 😀 We currently use 10 billion tons of fossil fuels annually for fuel and chemicals, leading to environmental destruction and depletion of resources.
• 😀 Fossil fuel reserves are depleting rapidly, and their scarcity will become critical in the lifetime of our children and grandchildren.
• 😀 Synthetic biology, which reprograms microorganisms to perform new tasks, offers a potential solution to replace fossil fuel-based industrial processes.
• 😀 Microorganisms, nature’s chemical factories, already produce essential products like cheese and soy sauce and could help produce sustainable alternatives for clothing, medicines, and more.
• 😀 A breakthrough in synthetic biology has allowed scientists to reprogram bacteria to create adipic acid from lignin waste, an essential chemical in nylon production, without carbon emissions or fossil fuel use.
• 😀 The potential for synthetic biology extends to recycling plastic waste into valuable products, and even to applications in human medicine or sustainable clothing repair.
• 😀 Synthetic biology could lead to a future where waste no longer exists, as microorganisms could help us create a cleaner, greener world with minimal environmental impact.

Q & A

What is the main concern about the clothing industry discussed in the talk?

The main concern is that the clothing industry is highly polluting, emitting almost 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and relies heavily on fossil fuels, contributing to environmental degradation.

How do pharmaceuticals relate to fossil fuels according to the speaker?

The speaker points out that 70 of the top 100 pharmaceuticals on the market today are made directly from fossil fuels, highlighting our society's significant dependence on oil for daily products.

What does the speaker suggest as a solution to our reliance on fossil fuels?

The speaker proposes using synthetic biology to create living factories, where microorganisms can be programmed to produce essential chemicals and products without relying on fossil fuels.

What is synthetic biology, and how is it applied in the speaker's research?

Synthetic biology is an emerging technology that enables scientists to rewire the metabolism of microbes to produce new materials and chemicals. The speaker's research focuses on using synthetic biology to create sustainable alternatives to chemicals made from fossil fuels.

What is adipic acid, and why is it important in the context of the talk?

Adipic acid is a chemical used to make nylon and is one of the most widely produced chemicals in the world. It is traditionally made from fossil fuels, but the speaker's research aims to produce it sustainably using microbes, thus reducing carbon emissions.

What is lignin, and how does it contribute to a sustainable solution?

Lignin is a polymer found in plants, used to strengthen them. It is a sustainable material that can be used to produce adipic acid in microbes, reducing the need for fossil fuels and preventing waste from industries like paper milling and agriculture from polluting the environment.

What are the environmental benefits of producing adipic acid using microbes instead of traditional factories?

Producing adipic acid with microbes results in no carbon emissions, does not rely on fossil fuels, and operates at room temperature in water, making the process much cleaner and more sustainable compared to traditional industrial methods.

How could microbial factories be used to address plastic waste?

The speaker suggests that synthetic biology could enable us to use plastic waste, currently polluting the oceans and landfills, to create valuable products such as clothing, medicine, and more, by reprogramming microbes to break down and repurpose the plastic.

What potential future applications of synthetic biology does the speaker envision?

The speaker envisions a future where microorganisms live inside the human body to medicate us when needed, or live inside clothing to repair them automatically, thus creating a more sustainable and efficient way to handle both human health and product maintenance.

What is the overall message the speaker wants to convey regarding the future of synthetic biology?

The speaker is optimistic about the future, believing that synthetic biology could lead to a world where waste no longer exists, products are made sustainably, and industries no longer rely on fossil fuels, creating a cleaner, greener, and more circular economy.