3. Synthetic biology and the environment

Abstract

The world faces a number of pressing environmental challenges: limited resources; limited space; loss of biodiversity; pollution of land, water, and air; and the impact of climate change thought to be driven by air pollution and by altered land use. Synthetic biology is being seen by many as a potentially powerful tool to be used in solving some of these problems in combination with other technical, social, and legislative advances. ‘Synthetic biology and the environment’ considers examples of synthetic biology approaches to environmental protection including reduction of greenhouse gas production, more efficient agricultural land use, detection of pollution, and bio-remediation of polluted environments, and discusses the barriers to commercial application.