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applies on a large scale: remote sensing, but also environmental samples of the microbi­

ome of ecosystems (metagenomics) not only create new floods of data, but I also know

more and more precisely where which object is located and how it is currently changing.

This also makes it increasingly possible to understand how our environment is chang­

ing and in what direction. This also increases the possibilities to actively change it. We

must not be under any illusions. Even if we all “do nothing” (Plan A: “Business as

usual”), the general activity of humans has a strong influence on our environment locally

and also globally on the climate and biodiversity (Barnosky et al. 2011).

At present, it is clear that we have not yet achieved this stable basis for life. We are still

living on borrowed time. We are steadily increasing our carbon dioxide emissions, we are

struggling with global warming, overpopulation and dangerous nuclear armament, raw

materials are becoming scarce, and electronic waste and environmental toxins are on the

increase. But for these complex problems, there are good answers not only from technol­

ogy, but also from biology and bioinformatics. It is clear that this must now be imple­

mented decisively before our basis of life is irretrievably damaged and our current,

outdated technology collapses, but also positive trends become visible (Lehman et al. 2021).

16.2

Model and Mitigate Global Problems

Bioinformatics approaches can contribute a great deal to global problems. This is because

our entire world can also be viewed as an overall ecosystem and modelled in systems biol­

ogy using computers. In addition, all the typical steps that otherwise have to be taken in

bioinformatic modelling are there. In particular, one is forced to simplify strongly in some

cases. One performs many simulations, and when the solution space becomes even more

complex, one tries to represent and explore important combinations of conditions in indi­

vidual models (so-called “scenarios”). Important problems, unfortunately, arise especially

because of our success as a modern, technological civilization. This success, and in par­

ticular a certain prosperity, was increasingly achieved after the Second World War. This is

also centrally important to pull the poorest strata of humanity (these have only one dollar

a day at their disposal) out of hunger and disease, especially since only with four dollars a

day of earnings is it possible to go to school and with 16 dollars a day to study, and only

with at least 32 dollars a day is there so much prosperity that there is time for reflection,

reading and real planning for the future (Rosling et al. 2019; illustrative: there is only dif­

ferent prosperity, otherwise all cultures are always the same people, to be seen in Hans

Rosling’s “Dollarstreet” https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-­street/). The solution must not

be to go back to the past (after general collapse only hunger and suffering) but to advance

sustainability, digitalization and environmental and species protection as well as interna­

tional cooperation and education. This is particularly important in the case of the five

systemic risks of global war, global warming, economic crisis, pandemic and dictatorship

(supported by digitalisation, for example). In contrast to smaller catastrophes, the systemic

risks pose the danger of weakening our civilisation as a whole to such an extent that a

downward spiral can occur.

16.2  Model and Mitigate Global Problems