When most people hear the term “engineering biology,” their minds leap to healthcare. From gene therapies to personalised medicine, synthetic biology has reshaped how we diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. But to frame engineering biology purely as a health technology is to miss its broader potential.
In reality, the same tools that are rewriting DNA in hospitals are also poised to reshape how we fight climate change, decarbonise industries, and design sustainable economies. This cross-sector impact is what makes engineering biology one of the most consequential technologies of the century.
Why Engineering Biology Matters for Climate Tech
At its core, engineering biology is about programming living systems the way we program computers. This means harnessing organisms, from microbes to plants, to perform functions with precision.
In healthcare, this looks like bacteria engineered to deliver cancer treatments. In climate technology, it means microbes that can consume CO₂, yeasts that produce biofuels, and enzymes that break down plastics. The global bioeconomy is already estimated at over $4 trillion, with applications extending well beyond medicine. A significant share of that potential lies in climate-focused solutions.
According to the UK’s Engineering Biology Vision Paper (2023), engineering biology can play a pivotal role in achieving net-zero targets by transforming agriculture, manufacturing, and energy. For the UK, the US, and other innovation-driven economies, this isn’t a niche, it is a national strategy question.
Agriculture and Good: Feeding the World Without Warming It
Agriculture is responsible for nearly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Engineering biology offers tools to dramatically lower that figure. Researchers are developing nitrogen-fixing microbes that can replace synthetic fertilizers, one of the biggest sources of nitrous oxide emissions.
Similarly, engineered yeasts and fungi are being used to produce alternative proteins, reducing the reliance on livestock farming, which accounts for nearly 15% of all emissions worldwide. Startups like Pivot Bio and Perfect Day are already showing that biology-driven solutions can scale.
Pivot Bio’s engineered microbes reduce fertilizer use while maintaining crop yields. Perfect Day uses precision fermentation to make dairy proteins without cows. These are not just health or food innovations, they are climate technologies in disguise, tackling emissions at their root.
Related: The Rise Of Engineering Biology : Can The UK Lead A Biotech Renaissance
Energy and Materials: Rewriting the Building Blocks of Industry
If the fossil fuel era was defined by petroleum-based materials, the bioeconomy era could be defined by engineered biology. From biofuels to bioplastics, biology is becoming a platform for designing low-carbon alternatives to some of the most polluting materials in the world.
Take biomanufacturing: companies are now engineering microbes to produce everything from jet fuel to construction materials. In 2022, Twelve, a carbon transformation startup, used engineered systems to convert CO₂ into sustainable aviation fuel. Meanwhile, LanzaTech is engineering microbes that turn industrial emissions into chemicals used in everyday products.
These innovations sit at the intersection of synthetic biology and climate tech, offering pathways to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors like aviation, shipping, and heavy industry.
Waste and Circularity: Biology as Nature’s Recycler
One of the most exciting frontiers of engineered biology is its ability to close loops in the circular economy. Scientists have already developed enzymes that can break down PET plastics into raw materials for reuse. In 2020, researchers at Carbios engineered an enzyme capable of depolymerizing 90% of PET waste in just 10 hours.
This approach doesn’t just reduce waste, it creates circular supply chains that keep carbon in use and out of the atmosphere.Imagine a future where landfills shrink, where textiles, plastics, and electronics are broken down by engineered organisms, and where waste becomes raw material for the next generation of climate-friendly products.
That is not science fiction, it’s an active area of innovation today.
Cross-Sector Lens: Why This Matters Now
What makes engineering biology unique is its cross-sector versatility. It is not confined to hospitals or pharmaceutical labs; it is equally relevant to farmers, manufacturers, energy companies, and policymakers.
This is why many governments, including the UK, are starting to frame engineering biology as a critical national capability, akin to artificial intelligence or quantum computing.
The danger lies in pigeonholing it as “just health tech.” If policymakers and investors only see its medical applications, they risk underfunding and underprioritizing its climate potential. That would be a lost opportunity not just for industry competitiveness but for meeting the urgent global challenge of climate change.
The Road Ahead: Policy, Investment, and Skills
Realising the full potential of engineering biology in climate tech will require more than breakthrough science. It demands cross-sector collaboration, robust public investment, and workforce development. The UK’s £2 billion Engineering Biology Mission, part of its broader Innovation Strategy, is a step in the right direction.
But without parallel investment in training bioengineers, scaling manufacturing capacity, and integrating biology into energy and climate policy, progress could stall.There’s also a pressing need for ethical and regulatory frameworks. Engineering biology touches food systems, ecosystems, and energy infrastructures, domains where public trust and safety are paramount.
The same rigor applied to clinical trials in healthcare must extend to climate applications, ensuring both sustainability and safety.The climate crisis is not a challenge that can be solved by wind turbines and solar panels alone. It requires rethinking the very materials, systems, and processes that underpin our economies. Engineering biology, with its ability to reprogram life itself, is one of the most powerful tools we have to do so.
To think of it as just healthcare innovation is to underestimate its impact. The truth is, engineering biology is as much climate technology as it is medical technology, and embracing that cross-sector lens could determine how fast, and how fairly, we transition to a sustainable future.
