Overview
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), proposed in 2015, form the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. The SDGs consist of 17 Goals and 169 specific Targets, covering social, economic, and environmental dimensions. They call upon and guide people across the globe to work together toward a sustainable and prosperous future for our planet. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are shown below (via Wiki Commons):
The research objective of our project is to develop a green solution to mitigate the greenhouse effect and global warming through the genetic engineering of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. This overarching goal directly addresses the challenges of the climate crisis and is inherently aligned with multiple SDGs in both principle and practice.
At the beginning of our project design, our team held brainstorming sessions to discuss the actions each member could take to combat global warming and how these actions related to specific SDGs. Throughout several months of project development, we continually reflected upon and refined these actions. The summary is shown in the table below:
Beyond these initial commitments, our full project experience has also enabled us to engage with and practice additional SDGs. Looking forward, we are confident that continued research and development in this field will further advance, promote, and embody the spirit of even more Sustainable Development Goals.
Part I. Sustainable Development Goals – Ongoing Practices
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
We approached the connection between SDG 3 and our project from two perspectives.
First, global warming poses a major threat to human health and well-being. This is not only because it leads to abnormal climate events and natural disasters that endanger human life, property, and psychological security, but also because rising temperatures may contribute to the spread of certain diseases. Wu et al. (2016), in a comprehensive literature review, summarized research on the impacts of climate change on disease transmission. For example, malaria outbreaks in many regions have been found to correlate positively with El Niño events, while heat waves increase the transmission rates and mortality of infectious and respiratory diseases. Therefore, by aiming to mitigate global warming trends, our research directly supports the realization of SDG 3.
Second, many of the actions we advocate and promote are beneficial to improving human health and well-being. For instance, we encourage commuting by walking or shared bicycles whenever physically and logistically feasible, and we promote a balanced diet that includes sufficient protein and fat intake alongside increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. These lifestyle practices contribute positively to individual health.
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
It is well established that fossil fuels are the primary source of carbon dioxide, the most prevalent greenhouse gas, and that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is precisely the issue our project seeks to address from a scientific perspective. On the other hand, Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7) emphasizes the transition away from polluting and non-renewable energy sources such as traditional fossil fuels, in order to avoid environmental degradation, resource depletion, and excessive greenhouse gas emissions. This illustrates the natural connection between our project and SDG 7: while SDG 7 aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions “upstream,” our research seeks to address the consequences of excessive emissions “downstream.” In this sense, our efforts are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
From the very beginning of our project, SDG 7 has been one of the goals we repeatedly discussed and consistently integrated into our work. On a personal level, many of our members have committed to drive or take electric vehicles whenever possible (At the same time, we recognize that new energy transportation may not be affordable for many families and regions). In our Human Practices activities, clean energy was highlighted in every stage of external communication: we explained its significance to peers and members of the public who were less familiar with the topic, while engaging in deeper discussions with those who were already knowledgeable, thereby enriching our own understanding.
We paid particular attention to the word “affordable” in SDG 7, which prompted some of our deepest reflections. For any solution we propose to be practically adopted, it must not only work in theory, but also be accessible and equitable for a wide range of people and communities. In reality, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a genetically engineered model organism does present challenges of relatively high economic cost. How to make it more affordable will be a key focus for our future research, an important reminder continually emphasized by the spirit of SDG 7.
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
Our reflection, practice, and response to Sustainable Development Goal 10 are primarily embodied in our recognition of potential biases within our own perspectives, our efforts to critically reflect on them, and our attempts to address them. As noted above, we are deeply committed to mitigating global warming, and our passion for this research objective stems from the personal experiences of every team member. However, we also recognize that these perspectives are inherently limited: our members come from urban areas in China and the United States—two countries with similar situations of exposure to industrialized urban life (Index Mundi, n.d.). As highlighted in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, industrial activity is one of the primary drivers of greenhouse gas emissions (Bashmakov et al., 2022). Because our backgrounds are rooted in highly urbanized, industrial contexts, we may naturally perceive the urgency of climate change more directly, but we recognize this may not represent all perspectives. Our daily discussions often reflect this relatively homogeneous viewpoint.
Is global warming a serious global problem? A wide range of scientific evidence suggests that the answer is unequivocally yes. Yet our reflection lies in the fact that—even so—we cannot assume that individuals living in different regions, environments, or cultures experience or perceive this issue in the same way. Those diverse perspectives are equally valuable to us. We recognize that if we take our own experiences for granted without actively listening to others, we may inadvertently create a form of inequality in whose voices are heard.
To counter this risk, we have actively sought to include perspectives from friends in other countries. During the project, we invited individuals from Germany, France, and Vanuatu to share their direct experiences with global warming. These perspectives emerged from different national contexts, including variations in industrialized lifestyles, cultural norms, and policy approaches.
A simple conclusion from these conversations is that “yes, global warming is indeed affecting every corner of the planet.” However, the process of engaging in such reflection was itself deeply valuable to us. We are also aware that these exchanges do not yet capture the full range of stakeholders’ voices. To promote greater equality of expression, we plan to extend our outreach to more countries and regions with varying levels of industrialization, adopting more systematic and rigorous methods of inquiry. Still, we believe that even these initial reflections and efforts contribute meaningfully to our pursuit of inclusivity and equity in addressing global challenges.
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 11 is another goal that is intrinsically connected to our project. Urban areas often experience more pronounced effects of global warming, and they are also envisioned as key application scenarios for our algae-based solution. Therefore, in designing our project, we have consistently considered the needs of current and future urban environments. For instance, we believe that genetically engineered Chlamydomonas reinhardtii must be able to survive in urban heat island conditions in order to realize its potential as a viable solution to global warming. This further confirmed the research value of our target gene, CPN60C.
SDG 11 identifies greenhouse gas emissions and inefficient energy use as major challenges (United Nations, 2015), both of which are also key drivers of global warming. Through surveys, interviews, and outreach in schools and communities, we explained the roles and impacts of these factors to the public. Based on the feedback we received, these efforts have contributed to promoting SDG 11 in these communities.
In addition, we actively encourage the use of public and green transportation, waste sorting and recycling, and energy conservation, all of which are important strategies for achieving SDG 11.
Moreover, Target 11.5 calls for substantially reducing the adverse impacts of disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting vulnerable populations by 2030. One of the major threats posed by global warming is the increase in extreme weather events and natural disasters. Accordingly, our research efforts can directly support progress toward this target.
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
As part of our commitment to addressing global warming, a significant portion of our actions focus on resources and consumption, an area where SDG 12 provides us with the most direct guidance and motivation. The actions we have pledged to take, and to promote among broader stakeholders, include but are not limited to: purchasing locally produced food whenever possible to reduce carbon emissions from transportation; actively practicing waste sorting and recycling to minimize the pollution of land and water caused by hazardous waste; using public transportation, walking, cycling, or carpooling for daily travel; and bringing reusable cups, utensils, and bags to reduce reliance on single-use plastics.
These actions are effective strategies for advancing SDG 12 and align with the spirit of its targets: 12.3 (reducing food loss and waste), 12.4 (preventing chemical and waste pollution), 12.5 (strengthening waste reduction, recycling, and reuse), and 12.7 (promoting sustainable public procurement).
Goal 13. Climate Action
Our entire research project is itself a form of Climate Action. It stems from our awareness and concern about global warming. Through background research, we have learned more about the pressing challenges of climate change: the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached its highest level in the past 800,000 years (WMO, 2025); by 2024, the global average temperature had risen by 1.6°C compared to pre-industrial levels (C3S, 2025); and since 2022, glaciers in Greenland have been melting at a rate of about 266 billion tons per year (NASA, n.d.).
These data reinforce our conviction that immediate action is imperative. We practice Climate Action not only through our scientific research, but also by raising public awareness of the climate crisis and engaging in a series of outreach activities. In this process, we have gathered diverse external perspectives, deepening our understanding of how people perceive climate issues and prompting us to reflect on how we can both improve our solution and communicate its significance in a way that is more accessible to broader audiences. This led us to adopt social media as our primary channel for presenting these issues to the public.
Goal 14: Life Below Water
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is itself an aquatic organism, although it usually lives in inland water environments. According to United Nations data, approximately 23% of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by the oceans each year (United Nations, 2015), and inland water inflows serve as an important pathway for the transfer of carbon from land to sea (Regnier et al., 2013). Protecting marine environments helps preserve their role as a global “brake” on rising temperatures, which aligns with the objectives of our project.
However, the insights from SDG 14 go far beyond alignment; they also prompt us to reflect critically on potential risks related to our work. Could genetically engineered Chlamydomonas reinhardtii pose a threat to freshwater ecosystems, thereby indirectly affecting marine environments? Could its reproduction become uncontrolled?
During our outreach, we encountered such challenges directly. Nearly half of our respondents expressed concerns that genetically modified algae might over-proliferate in urban or natural water bodies, leading to mixed feelings about our research goals. Some also asked whether these engineered strains could trigger harmful algal blooms, such as “red tides.”
We responded to these reflections in several ways. First, we reviewed and optimized our experimental safety design to ensure strict containment of laboratory strains, thereby eliminating biosafety risks. In fact, our use of electroporation and the CPN60C gene has resulted in physiologically fragile transformants, which further reduces the likelihood of environmental risk. Looking ahead, we recognize that before considering industrial-scale applications of such engineered strains, comprehensive studies and testing must be conducted to mitigate any potential impacts on freshwater or marine ecosystems.
Second, we realized that public understanding of algae often remains general, with limited awareness of differences among species and strains. This has encouraged us to integrate basic education on algal biology and taxonomy into our outreach activities, helping to improve public literacy in this area.
Goal 15: Life on Land
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is an aquatic organism, yet the continuous increase in carbon emissions also poses severe threats to terrestrial life. In this sense, our project goals converge with those of SDG 15, which is the starting point of our reflection on their interconnection.
Several specific targets under SDG 15 resonate directly with our objectives. The promotion of afforestation (Target 15.2), the prevention of land degradation and desertification (Target 15.3), and the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems (Targets 15.5 and 15.9) are all widely recognized strategies for reducing carbon emissions and mitigating global warming. Throughout the course of our project, we have often compared and reflected upon our designed solution in relation to these established approaches, analyzing its strengths and limitations in order to better contribute to shared goals.
Furthermore, Target 15.8, which emphasizes preventing the introduction of invasive species, serves as a further reminder of the potential biosafety risks of genetically engineered algae. This has reinforced our commitment to implementing strict laboratory-level containment measures from the outset to ensure effective risk management.
Goal 17: Partnerships
As a team characterized by cross-regional and cross-cultural collaboration, members of SHSD were based in China, the United States, and Australia during the course of our project. We also invited friends from Germany, France, and Vanuatu to share their perspectives and experiences on global warming through interviews. Contributions from partners across the world provided crucial support for our project, broadened our perspectives, and underscored the collaborative nature of addressing climate change as a truly global challenge.
We also engaged in exchanges with other iGEM teams. For instance, through a project discussion meeting with Team EPFL, we gained detailed insights into their innovative solution to mitigate the spread of wildfires by developing flame-retardant hydrogels. We were inspired by their impressive work on cost-effectiveness, Human Practices, and entrepreneurship, which offered valuable lessons for our own project.
Part II. Sustainable Development Goals – Our Path Forward
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
Although eliminating hunger is not the direct objective of our current research project, we have come to recognize the significant potential of algal genetic engineering in contributing to this goal. For example, certain microalgae such as Chlorella have already been widely applied in health supplements and food products. Moreover, as aquatic organisms, algae can be cultivated in non-arable environments—such as wastewater, saline water, and semi-arid saline–alkaline lands—unlike many traditional crops. A recent study by Tahir et al. (2024) discusses several promising avenues through which algae could help address global food crises: large-scale cultivation in saline water to produce valuable metabolites, large-scale cultivation in wastewater to supplement food and feed needs, and more.
With regard to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii specifically, its safety and stability as a chassis organism for genetic engineering, together with its chloroplast-based metabolism, make it a promising contributor to future research on transgenic food crops. As emphasized by Dr. Hou, an expert we interviewed, addressing food insecurity is indeed one of the important directions of algal research.
Of course, these ideas are based on our limited understanding of C. reinhardtii, and we are fully aware that issues of safety, regulation, public acceptance, and nutritional research must be approached with great caution. We are eager to share our research experience with future iGEM teams and the broader community to support further exploration of food-related applications based on C. reinhardtii.
Goal 4: Quality Education
One of the key pieces of feedback we received during this project was that in increasingly busy daily lives, the public often lacks reliable channels for learning about global warming and the greenhouse effect. This prevents many people from further exploring a phenomenon that directly concerns everyone. At the same time, social media was identified by the majority of respondents as their primary source of information. However, the uneven quality of content on social media creates additional barriers to effective public learning in this area.
To address this, we plan to continue using social media to publish reliable information on topics such as the greenhouse effect, carbon emissions, global warming, genetic engineering, and algal research. Our goal is to improve the accessibility of valid knowledge for our audiences and lower the barriers to learning. We also intend to provide content in both Chinese and English so that more people can benefit from it. We believe these efforts are well aligned with the spirit of SDG 4.
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Similar to SDG 14 and SDG 15, SDG 6 first drew our reflection and attention to the importance of biosafety control in our Chlamydomonas reinhardtii research, so as to prevent potential risks of water contamination. Beyond this, we are also particularly interested in the potential of algal research for water purification, which may become one of our future directions for further exploration. We also look forward to seeing more iGEM teams focusing on algal research and continuing to deepen work on this important issue.
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
The ultimate goal of our project is to engineer a strain of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii suitable for industrial production, capable of surviving under heat stress conditions while maintaining efficient photosynthesis. Such a strain could effectively fix atmospheric carbon dioxide in high-temperature application scenarios, thereby contributing to the mitigation of global warming. We believe that the pursuit and eventual realization of this goal will naturally give rise to new entrepreneurial directions, employment opportunities, and technological innovations, thus advancing the objectives of SDG 9.
References
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