Bio-based innovations key to tackling climate change: C-CAMP chief

Climate change poses complex challenges to communities, ecosystems and economies worldwide, from shifting weather patterns to rising sea levels, said Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO and Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), Bengaluru.

Delivering the Er. Yarlagadda Sreeramulu 22nd Endowment Lecture on ‘Enabling bio-based innovations for climate and their impact on environment, health and agriculture’, organised by the Institution of Engineers (India), Andhra Pradesh State Centre, in association with Malaxmi Group, Dr. Saiyed said the impact of climate change is increasingly evident in unpredictable weather, extreme heat, frequent floods and growing challenges in agriculture and health.

He said there was hope in nature-based solutions and stressed that biology, through plants, microbes and scientific innovation, can offer sustainable answers to environmental and societal problems. Instead of relying solely on chemicals, he said agriculture can adopt natural products derived from plants and seaweed to improve crop resilience and reduce environmental harm.

Dr. Saiyed said organisations like C-CAMP are helping scientists and startups convert ideas into practical solutions. Citing seaweed-based fertilisers and plant boosters, he said such innovations strengthen crops, cut chemical use and create livelihoods for coastal communities. He also highlighted the use of microbes to clean polluted soil and water, noting that these solutions are affordable and effective even in remote areas.

Referring to health impacts, he said climate change can accelerate disease spread and worsen pollution, and biology-based tools are being developed to detect and prevent diseases in resource-poor regions. He added that bio-based alternatives to plastics and fossil fuels are reducing pollution and creating green jobs, with C-CAMP’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainability and Climate Action leading such efforts.

Founder and chief mentor of the Malaxmi Group, Yarlagadda Harish Chandra Prasad, said the lecture series was instituted to honour the vision of his father Yarlagadda Sreeramulu, who believed engineering and technology should serve society and the environment.