Florence, Italy, October 24, 2024— The International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS) 2024 congress is occurring in these days in Florence, with the theme “Microorganisms for sustainable solutions: environmental & clinical implementations” reflecting the urgent need to explore sustainable approaches to address global environmental challenges. The IUMS is the voice of microorganisms bringing together regional and national societies of microbiology through the world.
Today, IUMS, in partnership with the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), will host a pivotal panel discussion at the IUMS 2024 Congress, titled “Climate Change and Microbe-driven Sustainable Solutions,” that will feature a Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) of global experts who will present the latest research on how microorganisms can play a critical role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Discussions will focus on health, biodiversity, energy and greenhouse gases, highlighting the wide-reaching potential of microbes to address some of the most pressing issues our planet faces.
"Microorganisms have an extraordinary capacity to influence environmental systems and public health," said Nguyen Nguyen, Ph.D., Director of ASM’s American Academy for Microbiology. "Through international and transdisciplinary collaborations like the ASM & IUMS partnership, we can harness the collective knowledge and expertise to develop microbe-driven solutions that not only reduce carbon footprints but also restore ecosystems. Global partnerships are paramount to solving the most urgent problems of our time, such as climate change and its multifaceted impacts on the environment and human health."
Rino Rappuoli, Ph.D., President of IUMS, echoed this sentiment: "The challenges we face from climate change require a unified, global response. Microbes offer untapped potential to transform how we tackle environmental issues, but success will only come through collaboration. By bringing together experts from around the world, IUMS and ASM are driving the innovations we need."
In addition to the discussion on scientific innovations, the panel will present a proposal and collect input on how scientific societies can take action to promote microbial solutions to address climate change. The collected input will inform the future joint declaration between ASM, IUMS and other microbiological societies to further advocate for and implement microbial solutions to climate change on a global scale. This declaration aims to set a foundation to encourage microbiological science societies to bring a collective voice to microbial solutions to the climate crisis.
IUMS commitment to engage all microbiological societies globally to prioritize microbe-driven solutions for a sustainable future of the planet has been reported in key publications one of which states “Save the microbes to save the planet” (Save the microbes to save the planet. A call to action of the International Union of the Microbiological Societies (IUMS)) and a second one describes how microbes can help to achieve the Sustainable Development goals of the United Nations. (Scientists’ call to action: Microbes, planetary health, and the Sustainable Development Goals - ScienceDirect).
ASM’s leadership in climate change action stems from its longstanding commitment to advancing microbial science for societal benefit. Through its Climate Change & Microbes Scientific Portfolio —a comprehensive 5-year initiative—ASM is expanding the scientific understanding of the interactions between microbes and climate change. This portfolio serves as a foundation for informing climate change policies, fostering market-driven innovations and supporting the development of microbial technologies that can be applied globally.
Looking ahead, ASM & IUMS are preparing to release a comprehensive report from the Scientific Advisory Group in early 2025. This report will delve deeper into microbial solutions that are backed by strong science that is safe, scalable, equitable and economically sustainable. The ultimate goal is to incorporate these actionable microbial interventions into the adaptation and mitigation strategies around the world to combat climate change more effectively.
As climate change continues to impact all sectors of society, IUMS remains committed to promote microbial solutions that promise sustainable, long-term benefits for the planet.
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The IUMS’s mission is to raise the awareness and the search for sustainable solutions of key planetary problems because microbes (and their diversity) play a key role in climate change, fixing C02, support every form of life but are also responsible for infectious diseases including pandemics.
IUMS promotes international exchange, dialogue and collaboration amongst the international community of microbiologists involved in the discovery and applied sciences as well as in development of policy. We seek to align all microbiological societies in raising awareness of the importance of microorganisms in sustaining every form of life on the planet through working towards, and advocating strongly for, the preservation of global microbial diversity.
