Synthetic biology approaches to negative emissions technologies: a technological and ethical appraisal
This article explores the impact that synthetic biology approaches may have on Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs). Synthetic biology has both altered and created biological pathways inspired by nature to develop new NETs that sequester greenhouse gases into industrially useful chemicals, such as...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Climate |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1516823/full |
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| author | Dominic Y. Logel Josh Wodak |
| author_facet | Dominic Y. Logel Josh Wodak |
| author_sort | Dominic Y. Logel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores the impact that synthetic biology approaches may have on Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs). Synthetic biology has both altered and created biological pathways inspired by nature to develop new NETs that sequester greenhouse gases into industrially useful chemicals, such as biomass and calcium carbonate. However, synthetic biology continues to encounter difficulties when implementing and scaling up production due to a combination of hard limits (within biology) and ‘soft’ limits (of social and economic costs). Additionally, NETs, along with Ecosystem Technologies in general, operate as climate technofixes, wherein insufficient thought is given to the ethical quandaries arising from releasing designed organisms into the environment, even under controlled conditions. In this paper, we provide a technological and ethical appraisal of synthetic biology approaches to NETs, in the context of climate change mitigation through Ecosystem Technology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9eff14172d2f4db5897cefda12b5b443 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-9553 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Climate |
| spelling | doaj-art-9eff14172d2f4db5897cefda12b5b4432025-01-22T07:11:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Climate2624-95532025-01-01610.3389/fclim.2024.15168231516823Synthetic biology approaches to negative emissions technologies: a technological and ethical appraisalDominic Y. LogelJosh WodakThis article explores the impact that synthetic biology approaches may have on Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs). Synthetic biology has both altered and created biological pathways inspired by nature to develop new NETs that sequester greenhouse gases into industrially useful chemicals, such as biomass and calcium carbonate. However, synthetic biology continues to encounter difficulties when implementing and scaling up production due to a combination of hard limits (within biology) and ‘soft’ limits (of social and economic costs). Additionally, NETs, along with Ecosystem Technologies in general, operate as climate technofixes, wherein insufficient thought is given to the ethical quandaries arising from releasing designed organisms into the environment, even under controlled conditions. In this paper, we provide a technological and ethical appraisal of synthetic biology approaches to NETs, in the context of climate change mitigation through Ecosystem Technology.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1516823/fullsynthetic biologynegative emissions technologiescarbon capture technologiescarbon fixationenvironmental ethics |
| spellingShingle | Dominic Y. Logel Josh Wodak Synthetic biology approaches to negative emissions technologies: a technological and ethical appraisal Frontiers in Climate synthetic biology negative emissions technologies carbon capture technologies carbon fixation environmental ethics |
| title | Synthetic biology approaches to negative emissions technologies: a technological and ethical appraisal |
| title_full | Synthetic biology approaches to negative emissions technologies: a technological and ethical appraisal |
| title_fullStr | Synthetic biology approaches to negative emissions technologies: a technological and ethical appraisal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Synthetic biology approaches to negative emissions technologies: a technological and ethical appraisal |
| title_short | Synthetic biology approaches to negative emissions technologies: a technological and ethical appraisal |
| title_sort | synthetic biology approaches to negative emissions technologies a technological and ethical appraisal |
| topic | synthetic biology negative emissions technologies carbon capture technologies carbon fixation environmental ethics |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1516823/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dominicylogel syntheticbiologyapproachestonegativeemissionstechnologiesatechnologicalandethicalappraisal AT joshwodak syntheticbiologyapproachestonegativeemissionstechnologiesatechnologicalandethicalappraisal |