The threat of global warming, the greenhouse effect and other causes of climate change is what drives Israeli scientist Ron Milo of the Weizmann Institute of Science in his goal to put a brake on current environmental problems.
Milo, a doctor in Biological Physics, visited Argentina and spoke with Clarín exclusively about the studies he carries out at the Institute for Environmental Sustainability that he directs. It was created last year by the Weizmann Institute of Science. In addition, Milo is the dean in the education part of the center.
He is confident that science can find answers to the crisis of the global ecosystem that reveals an alarming fact: at present it implies that the mass of everything built by humans already exceeds that of living beings; Global warming is breaking records and natural resources are depleted if not managed.
- How do you define sustainability?
- Being sustainable implies that we use natural resources in the way we also maintain them for our generation and those to come. From the Institute we seek to support scientists to find innovative solutions.
- One of the works they investigate is to improve the efficiency of food and fuel production. What conclusions did they reach?
- We study the bacterium E. coli (Escherichia coli) and try to change its diet. It generally feeds on sugar and emits carbon dioxide. We teach him in the laboratory how to consume carbon dioxide and produce biomass. This will serve to extract the proteins from the battery and be able to use it for food.
- Another of his discoveries served to update the food pyramid of the United States. What was the biggest discovery?
- We found that environmental impacts have a serious impact on food production.
"Many of today's problems, such as global warming, will be worse if action is not taken now," Milo says. Photo: Mario Quinteros
- How could you avoid those negative effects that reach food?
- It can be seen from different angles. There is the question of how we produce food, another is what we choose to consume and the body weight we have. That is why it is important to know the environmental impacts of food. For example, steak – which I know is very popular in Argentina – has great effects on the planet. It depends on how the animals grow and also on other requirements such as the land and water you need. Meat produces large global emissions of greenhouse gases. In fact, animal products produce 10 to 50 times more such gases than plant products.
- So is it better to consume organic food and change production processes?
- Organic does not cover my expertise. But with respect to the way we produce, it is fundamental to improve it. For example, if we use too much fertilizer it affects rivers, lakes and has great negative effects on aquatic life. For the Institute, it is key to improve production processes and the way food grows. In addition, it is essential that people know the impact that the food they choose has on their diets. They must know that information and we contribute to make it so.
- Does this relate in any way to the study you conducted of the Distribution of Biomass on Earth and the impact of humanity?
-Yes. There are more domesticated animals than humans and wild animals. We consume a lot of livestock to generate the feed, we use the land to raise these cattle, but it could be produced in another way, more efficiently.
- What would that way look like?
- Plant-based food is more efficient than meat. Not just vegetables, but sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice and grains. In the future, bacteria may be used to produce food, such as yeast. We want to produce protein because it needs less water and land, and generates less greenhouse effect. Nor does it cause as much carbon dioxide or what is generated is absorbed by plants. The goal is to produce protein, or make food, from bacteria and yeast.
- Are you currently moving forward with this type of project?
- Yes, we are doing the basic research.
- Your research is based on sustainable development, what business opportunities can arise around that?
- There are many business opportunities, because we have to change the way we produce our energy, cars, food and clothing. A great example is Tesla – a company that has electric and autonomous cars – which invested from the beginning in these changes. Today it is worth much more than other companies that followed the traditional route.
- You mentioned that it is necessary for changes to be made worldwide, would it be useful for a single country to start implementing them?
- It would be useful for the rest to copy it quickly because it is a global problem that needs most nations to modify their habits. If a country believes that the problem will only arrive in a decade and now does not deal with solving it, it does not work.
What will happen in the next 10 years if the world doesn't become more sustainable?
Many of today's problems, such as global warming, will be worse if action is not taken now. There will be more extreme weather events, changes in rainfall and drought will become stronger. We will have less drinking water if it is contaminated, the availability of land to grow crops and materials will be less. The estimates made about the Amazon are very worrying. There will be no more fish due to overfishing, because marine fauna does not regenerate.
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