The Biological Foundation of Sustainability : The Essential Role of Microbes in Planetary Metabolism

Abstract

The ongoing climate change, rampant biodiversity loss, omnipresent pollution and waste accumulation around the world can no longer be overlooked or denied. As a consequence, "sustainability" has become a buzzword – but what does it actually mean when it comes to the details and practical action? What has to be "sustained"? Regine Hengge proposes a change of perspective: Instead of focusing on what Planet Earth can do for us, we should ask what we can do to make sure that the planetary biosphere will be able to continue to function and evolve with and for all its living inhabitants that depend on each other in this biosphere. She demands that to understand destructive human activity and successfully transform it into supportive and re-integrative action, we need to understand how the planetary biosphere operates, which in turn requires understanding its evolution.