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It was supposed to be a straightforward expedition: a team of international researchers donning wetsuits, clambering off the Italian coast near an island called Vulcano, and gathering water samples from a bubbling patch of ocean. What they got instead was something entirely unexpected: a new strain of cyanobacteria so round and heavy they nicknamed it “Chonkus.” As discoveries go, this one wasn’t glamorous. It was dense, slimy, and—true to its name—absurdly “chonk.”

But Chonkus, as algae go, has a bit of star power. Unlike most algae that float aimlessly around the ocean, minding their own business, Chonkus has two killer moves: it grows like crazy when there’s plenty of CO?, and it naturally sinks to the ocean floor. For researchers hunting for ways to capture and bury excess carbon, that makes Chonkus a prime candidate. Just think of it as a heavyweight champion in the ring against climate change. The team that stumbled upon it has detailed the whole adventure in Applied Environmental Microbiology.

“Fat” Algae for the Win

You may be wondering, “How does one stumble upon a miracle algae?” Well, Max Schubert, Ph.D., was asking himself a similar question. Schubert, who worked at Harvard’s Wyss Institute and is now at Align to Innovate, wanted to explore what happens when you give photosynthetic organisms — like algae — a little extra carbon. His reasoning was simple: if oceanic algae struggle to grow because carbon is relatively scarce, then there must be some critters out there thriving in carbon-rich waters, perhaps getting real chunky in the process.

And where better to look than the island of Vulcano, where shallow volcanic vents bubble up loads of CO?, creating a natural buffet for any algae with an appetite? Schubert and his colleague, Braden Tierney, Ph.D., both Harvard alumni who got to know each other while sharing lab benches at Harvard Medical School, set up an expedition. Tierney secured funding from SeedLabs, assembled a coalition from all corners of science (including universities and labs in the U.S. and Italy), and brought everyone to the CO?-loaded shores of Vulcano.

There, in a strange microcosm of sunlight and volcanic gas, they found Chonkus. And as if its size wasn’t impressive enough, the bacteria did a neat little trick: it sank. Yes, you read that right. While most algae flit around in the water like harmless sea confetti, Chonkus sank like a miniature green rock to the bottom of its test tube. Schubert likened its behavior to “green peanut butter.” Forget bioengineering; this thing was basically built for industrial-scale decarbonization right out of the box.

Going Big with “The Chonk”

Once they had Chonkus back in the lab, Schubert and Tierney’s team didn’t waste time. They replicated conditions Chonkus would love — warm temperatures, loads of light, and an all-you-can-eat carbon dioxide buffet. Two strains emerged from their culturing efforts, but UTEX 3222 stole the spotlight. Its individual cells were larger than anything Schubert had seen before, earning it the affectionate moniker “Chonkus.” It didn’t just look chunky; it grew chunky, creating densely packed colonies that would make any lab technician swoon with pride.

But beyond its girth, Chonkus had more intriguing traits: it produced large carbon-storage granules in its cells, and it carried a higher carbon content than its skinny relatives. And, of course, it had that sinking quality, which makes it an industrial gem. See, when you’re producing algae for industrial uses, the goal is to concentrate and dry the stuff — a process that can make up 30% of production costs. With Chonkus, gravity does half the work for you.

“Many of the traits we observed in Chonkus aren’t inherently useful in their natural environment, but they’re very useful to humans,” Tierney pointed out. In other words, while ocean algae typically grow at modest densities, Chonkus can reach high-density levels, and at higher temperatures, which are perfect for biomanufacturing. It’s as if nature handed humanity a pre-adapted, no-frills, algae-based solution to carbon sequestration — the Chonk, nature’s carbon capture vessel.

An Algae for the Future

The more they studied Chonkus, the more they realized the possibilities: carbon sequestration, sustainable bioproduction of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, algae-based supplements — all in one single, chubby package. Cyanobacteria, like Chonkus, have the nifty trait of gobbling up carbon from their environment, meaning they can combine the process of carbon capture and biomanufacturing, which is essentially a scientist’s dream combo.

As for Chonkus’s long-term prospects, Schubert and Tierney were anything but idle dreamers. They made samples of UTEX 3222 available through the University of Texas’s Culture Collection of Algae, sharing the bounty with scientists everywhere. Meanwhile, Tierney co-founded The Two Frontiers Project, a non-profit that funds expeditions to discover more microbial oddities in extreme environments — from hot springs in Colorado to coral reefs in the Red Sea. The organization hopes to find more of these natural misfits with traits suited for carbon capture, CO? upcycling, and coral ecosystem restoration.

Co-author George Church, an eminent professor at both Harvard and MIT, underscores the responsible approach to deploying such superbugs. “The traits inherent in naturally evolved strains like Chonkus can be game-changing,” he said, “but it’s critical to ‘build the seatbelts before you build the car.’” That means Church’s team is also working on bio-containment strategies, because you don’t want Chonkus sneaking out of a bioreactor and having a party in the local pond.

RECENT INDUSTRY NEWS

This November, Nigeria and nearly 200 other nations will convene for the 29th time at the Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan to review global climate efforts aimed at limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

This time, all the countries — from top emitters to those on the frontline bearing the heaviest burdens of climate change – will gather in the same conference room to discuss where the world stands and the way forward.

After two weeks of checking in and catching up on humanity’s struggle against a warming world, some will return to lush landscapes, while others will go back to lands scorched and seas encroaching.

Regardless, all are bound by a truth that needs no translation; the climate clock ticks for all, but it ticks faster for some than others.

Beyond serving as a platform for countries, especially those deemed vulnerable to climate impacts, to advocate for enhanced support and solutions, COP meetings also provide an opportunity to assess how at-risk nations in Africa including Nigeria, are advancing on their journey toward zero carbon.

Is there genuine progress, or merely an illusion of change, masked by ambitious pledges and targets yet to be met?

In two major reports on the first-ever global stocktake, the United Nations warns that the world is significantly off track in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and emphasizes the need for urgent action to combat the growing threats posed by climate change.

While the Paris Agreement has driven global and national climate action, there remains a significant shortfall in emissions reductions.

The situation varies by country, and for Nigeria, a similar trend is playing out.

Notably, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fuel combustion in Nigeria, a major source of greenhouse gases, rose by 127%, from 44.331 mega tonnes (Mt) in 2000 to 100.389 Mt in 2022.

When compared with its peers in the African region, Nigeria is ranked as the fourth highest emitter of CO2 from fuel combustion in Africa in 2022. This is closely tied to the country’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy production, particularly oil and gas, which constitute a significant portion of its energy mix.

The country’s heavy reliance on carbon-intensive energy sources not only contributes to high emissions but underscores the urgent need for a transition to more sustainable alternatives.

In addition to the emission from fuel combustion, carbon emission comes from other sectors of the economy, including the transportation sector, which has consistently been the largest emitter of CO? over the past 22 years. Other sectors, such as industry and electricity and heat production, also contribute significantly to emissions in the atmosphere.

Carbon emissions from residential sources are also partly driven by the energy access gap among Nigeria’s population. With only 25.6% of Nigerians able to access clean fuels and cooking technologies, many households still rely on traditional biomass fuels like wood and charcoal. This reliance not only elevates carbon emissions but also exacerbates health risks from indoor air pollution.

Moreover, the widespread use of these biomass fuels like firewood contributes to deforestation and increases greenhouse gas emissions, further compounding Nigeria’s environmental challenges. Expanding access to cleaner cooking solutions could be a crucial step in reducing emissions and improving public health, aligning with Nigeria’s broader climate goals as it strives to meet global standards that will be discussed at COP29.

As Nigeria grapples with these challenges, its susceptibility to the negative impacts of climate change intensifies, and its preparedness for climate resilience remains uncertain. This is evident in its score of 39.41 out of 100 on the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative Index (NG-GAIN 2022, updated in August 2024). This index evaluates a country’s vulnerability to climate change and its readiness for both mitigation and adaptation efforts.

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Funmilayo Babatunde

Funmilayo is a Research Analyst at Dataphyte, where she utilises data to craft engaging narratives about government policies and programs and their impact on the public.

Our stories explore an emerging trend of dedicating Northwest forests to storing carbon and then selling the credits for revenue

By: Alex Baumhardt - October 29, 2024 5:45 am

Editor’s note: In a four part series, the Capital Chronicle explores an emerging trend in the Northwest to dedicate forests to storing carbon while letting them earn credits to sell to polluters to offset their emissions. Reporter Alex Baumhardt spent months reporting on these stories. She visited forests in Oregon and Washington, and talked with dozens of landowners, forest managers, scientists and others while scouring the research to offer a rare comprehensive look at this issue.

Part 1: Banking on Oregon forests: In fight against climate change, financial markets see green in Oregon

No man-made machine on Earth can better capture planet-warming carbon dioxide from our atmosphere than a healthy forest.

And the most effective carbon-storing forests in the world are the wet, dense, giant conifer forests of the Northwest. The forests in Oregon’s Coast Range absorb and store more carbon per acre than almost any other forests in the world – including the Amazon Rainforest.

For more than a century, these forests have been heavily logged, supporting a vast timber industry worth billions of dollars. But, companies behind a new and growing market force are hoping to bank on the money-making potential of Oregon forests that are left intact, doing what they’ve always done: absorb and store carbon in their bark, tissue, leaves and needles and in the soil beneath them. In doing so, they help combat the growing threat of climate change.

Part 2: Banking on Oregon forests: Despite challenges, carbon markets see big potential in small landowners

Just a few years before Julie and John Christensen bought their 70-acre forest in Corbett, it had been clear-cut for logging and for animal grazing. So, they planted thousands of trees, making it a sanctuary to the bears, cougars and deer navigating a broader landscape taxed by growing logging and development.

Hoping to preserve their reforestation efforts, they signed a contract in 2023 with the company Forest Carbon Works that binds the future of their forest to a voluntary carbon crediting market.

If even 20% of existing family-owned, private forest acreage in the U.S. like that owned by the Christensens – about 50 million acres – was enrolled in carbon markets that necessitate better management and lighter logging, family forests could trap up to 1 billion additional tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide in the next 30 years, according to an analysis from the nonprofits American Forests Forever and The Nature Conservancy. That’s about equal to taking all cars off of U.S. roads for one year.

Part 3: Banking on Oregon forests: In spite of flaws, carbon markets put a price on climate pollution

The extraordinary costs of climate change hit home for Cody Desautel during the 2015 wildfire season. Now executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation, he watched hundreds of thousands of acres of forests burn – forests that were about to be entered into California’s carbon offset market, where tribal-owned forests have become the workhorses of the state-regulated emissions reduction program.

For Desautel and other tribal leaders, carbon markets are a way for corporations responsible for environmental degradation to reward and protect Indigenous forest management practices that have historically been less extractive. Desautel saw it as a way for his tribe, in one of the poorest corners of Washington, to generate revenue on the back of a promise that few industrial forest owners today are willing to make: ensure that above all other interests, especially logging, forests keep providing the air-cleaning, water-filtering, habitat-supporting work they’ve done for free, forever.

Part 4: Banking on Oregon Forests: Carbon markets could offer middle road in divide over forest management

When the Astoria City Council got the results of a forest inventory in the Bear Creek Watershed about a decade ago, councilors learned the city was in possession of far more valuable trees, and timber, than they had realized.

Some council members wanted to reap the extra dollars by logging it but others were concerned that it had been over-logged in the past and wanted to preserve it. They decided to call a carbon project developer, to see whether there was a way to make some money off their newfound tree inventory without increasing harvests. It’s a decision that a small but growing number of public landowners and managers in the state are making: scale back logging, and attempt to offset some of the lost timber revenue with revenue from the sale of carbon credits earned by keeping the forest intact.

Reporting for this project was supported by the MIT Environmental Solutions Journalism Fellowship.

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