AU Biology - Sustainability and climate change

Researchers at the Department of Biology contribute through research and collaboration to dealing with the major societal challenges formulated in the UN's 17 Goals for Sustainable Development.

Researchers at the Department of Biology want to contribute to sustainable development and to solving the biodiversity and climate crisis. This is done, among other things, through interdisciplinary research, which addresses four of the UN's goals of 'Clean Water and Sanitation', 'Climate Action', 'Life in the Sea' and 'Life on Land'.

The common denominator for our work in creating solutions to issues within sustainability and climate is innovation and collaboration with other research environments and partners from the business community and society, both in larger research centers and in smaller projects.

Read more on this page about how we work with specific issues and try to create sustainable solutions.

Interdisciplinary thematic centers that work with sustainability and climate

Image of World Goals — Figure Credit: UN

Examples of research projects in sustainability and climate

Center of Excellence to ensure the survival of the planet

Human activities create unprecedented environmental conditions, and this puts pressure on both humans, wildlife and the living conditions of plants if a solution is not found. The Centre of Excellence ECONOVO will find a solution.

Bacteria discovery changes our understanding of the world

The Danish National Research Foundation has invested DKK 56 million in the Center for Electromicrobiology at Aarhus University. The center conducts research in the surprising newly discovered organism called cable bacteria.

Bacteria in the atmosphere determine precipitation on Earth

Certain bacteria in the atmosphere are able to synthesize special proteins that catalyze ice formation, which are important for precipitation on Earth. The activity of the bacteria is dependent on the temperature.