An American start-up recently created genetically modified trees absorbing more CO2 than othersa new technique to combat global warming.
Trees growing faster than others
We know, trees contribute to the fight against global warming in they capture and by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Starting from this principle and drawing inspiration from a theory according to which a progressive cooling of the Earth took place 50 million years ago in connection with the massive presence of aquatic ferns absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, the start-up Living Carbon has developed a new species of genetically modified poplars.
After years of laboratory experience, the company has indeed succeeded in creating genetically modified poplars which grow faster than others. The idea is simple: making these trees grow faster makes them more active in the fight against the increase of CO2 in our atmosphere.
To achieve this result, photosynthesis is enhanced through genetic manipulation. The start-up added two genes from other species, notably that of an algae, and modified a gene from its own poplar. Living Carbon also relied on the work of researchers at the University of Illinois who succeeded in optimize the phenomenon of photo-breathingduring which we observe a sort of waste of CO2 in certain species of plants.
In 2023, the company has already planted hundreds of trees in Georgia, then in Ohio on a former mine. At the start of 2024, 170,000 trees have been planted by Living Carbon, but it is important to note that only 8,900 of them are genetically modified versions.
Will this technique really be effective?
If the idea seems particularly good on paper, certain potentially problematic points remain unresolved for the moment. Firstly, it is important to actually study the transition from the laboratory to the real world. Will trees be as effective at capturing CO2 in nature? Will they resist their environment? What will be their impact on other species in the regions where they were planted?
According to the Genetic Literacy Project group, an American scientific media, the poplars planted in Georgia are in fact not not native to the region, which could disrupt the ecosystems of the sector. Moreover, accelerated growth could ultimately weaken the plant more quicklywhich would also have an impact on the regions where they are planted with entire sections of forests that could die prematurely.
Many experts also find that Living Carbon lack of transparency in the publication of its results. If the start-up clearly indicates the evolution of these trees in the laboratory, it is however less talkative regarding the evolution of plantations in the real world. Finally, caution is required in all cases, as these trees remain genetically modified organisms whose consequences on the natural environment are not yet known, apart from the capture of CO2.
Many also criticize the company for wanting going way too fast in establishing their genetically modified poplars in the wild, but Living Carbon justifies this haste simply by the climate emergency we find ourselves in today. It is still important to remember that, if the primary goal is to save the planet, the company also makes money from its plantations, thanks in particular to compensations carbone in exchange for CO2 sequestration.
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