Gene editing: A 21st century tool to combat climate change

By Allen Van Deynze

In the 21st century, agriculture is more technologically sophisticated than ever. And yet, the core challenge for the world's farmers is the same as it has always been: How to maximize the quality and quantity of our food supply while minimizing waste and environmental damage.

In a world teeming with people, the tradeoffs of many so-called "successes" in eradicating hunger are distressingly apparent.

Producing food for a population of nearly eight billion takes an enormous toll on the world's fresh water supply. And because hundreds of millions around the world still face water vulnerability, nations feel forced to secure more of it from rainforests, wetlands, grasslands, and marshlands.  

But the biodiversity within those recedingly pristine ecosystems — and the benefits biodiversity yields to the world — are essential preconditions for the survival of human life. So is the world, in a manner of speaking, "eating" its way to extinction?

Enter gene editing.

Gene editing is a form of plant breeding that enables scientists to improve crops the way nature itself does, but in less time and with greater precision. Gene-editing can work within each crop's discrete genetic design to reveal the most sustainable version of itself.

Using gene-editing techniques, like CRISPR — which stands for "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats" within DNA — agricultural scientists are tweaking crops to make them more resistant to disease, spoilage, and even climate change.

A potato company in Idaho, for instance, uses gene-editing technology to create spuds that don't bruise easily. A pathologist at Penn State is tweaking the genes of white button mushrooms to make them less prone to discoloration. In Australia, scientists use CRISPR to make the world's most popular banana more resilient against a fungal disease that destroys harvests from the Middle East to the Philippines.

The promise of gene-edited crops is not just prettier or hardier produce, but reduced waste and, crucially, reduced land and water use: in other words, a smaller environmental footprint for agriculture the world over. It recognizes that in the 21st century, environmental sustainability is part of any serious discussions about improving agricultural productivity and efficiency.

Productivity and efficiency improvements will, ultimately, act in the service of the world's biodiversity. The myriad of species of flora and fauna — especially in dense ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest — positively contributes to the global society’s quality of life. Everyone knows the balance of species, from great trees to microorganisms, provides ecological ballast to the whole planet — fertilizing the soil, processing carbon, checking diseases.

But not everyone knows that rich ecosystems like coral reefs and rainforests are invaluable deposits of species and chemical compounds medical researchers use to develop treatments for incurable diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. Seven thousand medicines already come from plants — and the pace of innovation will only accelerate. With every acre of protected biodiversity, we protect potential cures and medical innovations.

Nature-positive food systems are an urgent need, based on safeguarding the environment and biodiversity. These would be characterized by a "regenerative, non-depleting and non-destructive use of natural resources," to quote a research paper from the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit.

Technologies like gene-editing can make agriculture more productive while responsive to local and global ecosystems. It is an essential plant breeding tool for developing the next generation of climate-resilient and environmentally friendly crops to secure a nutritional food system. Foremostly, it is a tool that democratizes plant breeding and food production. Its efficiency makes it available to public scientists, non-profits, small and large companies and developing nations.

Using CRISPR and related methods, scientists can make crops or animal species healthier and safer. They could bring out coral that's more tolerant of rising ocean temperatures or changing acidity levels. They could rescue — even revive — species lost to human development.  

These advances can help to alleviate pressure of feeding the growing global population without further degrading natural resources. Gene editing could become a key tool in the stewardship of our global biodiversity.

Gene editing aligns and mutually reinforces the incentives of the earth and her inhabitants — more and better food, more and cleaner water, all the while safeguarding biodiversity. It is science at its best, a fellowship with nature, biodiversity, and agriculture.