About this Research Topic

Background

The climate transformations we are observing have been anticipated for decades. Still, the effects are taking many by surprise, driven by the rapid onset, intensity, and severity of heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods, landslides, ocean warming, declining sea ice and melting permafrost. The ramifications for biodiversity and human health are inextricable. The direct connections between ecosystem health and human well-being are evident in the extreme challenges facing humankind, including climate refugees, shortages of food, energy, growing prevalence of communicable and non-communicable disease, lack of access to clean water and air, and, inevitably, conflict. The year 2023 has already brought climate change impacts on humanity that many had not envisioned even 5 years ago. Like never before, scientists are challenged to develop innovative, science-based solutions to address the twin biodiversity and climate crisis.

In this Research Topic, we propose the coalescence of a new, interdisciplinary scientific field that will accelerate the creation, diversification and effectiveness of adaptive solutions to the effects of climate change. We name this new field Ecosystem Technology, or EcoTech. We define EcoTech as an emerging and disruptive branch of applied science that combines living ecosystems and their derivatives with emerging scientific tools to produce and enhance products and processes. Examples of emerging fields within EcoTech that can fuel innovation and climate adaptation include Environmental Sensing and Signaling, Ecosystem-Inspired Material Science, Engineering with Nature, Ecosystem Genetics and Genetic Engineering, Ecosystem Cultivation, Ecosystem Energy, Ecosystem Economics, and Ecosystem Service Measuring and Modeling.

EcoTech represents the next step in the BioTech revolution. While BioTech focuses on harnessing and mimicking processes generated at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level to enhance product and process development, EcoTech focuses on next levels of biological organization: organism, populations, communities and ecosystems. Examples of processes generated at these higher, biological levels include: carbon sequestration, pollution absorption, coastal protection, food provisioning, and air and water purification, amongst others. Humankind is in desperate need of rapid innovation to bolster climate adaptation and resilience. We posit that greater incorporation of Ecosystem Technology into science and society will help address this glaring need. In this research topic, we highlight key research in many sub-disciplines of EcoTech and how developing and harnessing EcoTech can lead to out-sized and rapid advances in most businesses, conservation and government activities and programs. We predict these advances will enhance climate resilience and adaptation through multiple avenues including: workforce development and opportunities for underserved and climate vulnerable areas, small business development that increases economic resources in underdeveloped areas, and increased efficiency and decreased environmental impacts of infrastructure, renewable energy, and cultivation activities. The papers in this collection represent the scaffolding of this new scientific focus; synthesis across these scientific domains will ultimately hasten the impact of EcoTech in support of ecosystem and human well-being.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Ecosystem Technology, EcoTech, Climate Adaptation

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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