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On October 29, 2025, the Center for Synthetic Biology at Northwestern University welcomed acclaimed journalist and author Michael Grunwald for a public talk on his latest book, We Are Eating the Earth. The event, co-hosted with the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, Global Poverty Research Lab, Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, and the Institute for Policy Research, drew a full crowd to the Evanston campus for an evening of urgent discussion on the intersection of food, climate, and technology.

Grunwald, a veteran reporter for The Washington Post, Time, and POLITICO, has spent more than three decades chronicling U.S. policy and environmental change. His latest work tackles what he calls “the biggest environmental story of all”—our global food system.

Following an introduction by Julius Lucks, co-director of the Center for Synthetic Biology, Grunwald led the audience through the sweeping consequences of modern agriculture and the potential pathways toward a more sustainable future.

“About six years ago, I realized that agriculture is really the biggest environmental story,” Grunwald said. “It’s 70% of our fresh water use. It’s the leading driver of water pollution and the algae blooms in the Great Lakes and the dead zone the size of Connecticut in the Gulf of Mexico. Agriculture is the leading driver of biodiversity loss, deforestation and habitat loss. Pretty much anything that’s bad happening to the planet, agriculture has had a pretty big role in it, and it’s also one third of our climate problem.”

In his talk, Grunwald outlined how global demand for food, especially meat, is reshaping ecosystems at a devastating pace. Every six seconds, he noted, the world loses a soccer field’s worth of tropical forest to agricultural expansion. While energy-related emissions often dominate climate headlines, Grunwald argued that deforestation and land use from agriculture represent a quieter but equally urgent front in the climate crisis.

“Trying to decarbonize the planet while we’re continuing to vaporize forests for agriculture,” he warned, “is like trying to clean your house while smashing the vacuum cleaner to bits in the living room.”

Grunwald also challenged the romanticization of “natural” or “regenerative” farming, calling it “lower-yield agriculture” that risks consuming even more land. Instead, he called for innovation that boosts yields and reduces environmental footprints simultaneously.

The Role of Synthetic Biology

That, he suggested, is where synthetic biology and related scientific revolutions could play a pivotal role. Drawing connections to the research underway at Northwestern, Grunwald highlighted emerging technologies—from gene-edited microbes that fertilize crops to biopesticides engineered with mRNA technology—that could transform agriculture. He described scientists “reinventing photosynthesis” to make plants more efficient, potentially increasing crop yields by 50% by mid-century.

“In the 20th century, we had a Green Revolution powered by chemistry,” Grunwald said. “In the 21st, we may have a Green Revolution powered by biology.”

During a Q&A session with Lucks, the conversation turned toward innovation and human behavior. Grunwald acknowledged that while consumers are slow to change dietary habits, technological breakthroughs in alternative proteins could offer hope. He shared the story of Bruce Friedrich, head of the Good Food Institute, who is working to make meat “cheaper, tastier, and healthier—but made without animals.”

Despite the magnitude of the challenge, Grunwald closed on an optimistic note.

“Smart people are doing incredible things,” Grunwald said. “I see a younger generation that is interested in these problems and going to work on them—working on the biology, working on the technology and working on the business side. I find it really exciting.”

Following the talk, guests gathered in Pancoe Café for a lively reception and book signing with Grunwald.

This special event marked an early highlight in the lead-up to the Center for Synthetic Biology’s 10-Year Anniversary Celebration, to be held May 13–14, 2026. The anniversary will continue exploring how biology, policy, and innovation can come together to address humanity’s grand challenges—like the one Grunwald so powerfully captured: how to feed the world without consuming it.

Main image: CSB Co-Directors Julius Lucks and Danielle Tullman-Ercek with author Michael Grunwald. Photography by Lisa La Vallee and Christine Akdeniz.

For more information on this speaker please visit www.simonspeakers.com.

by Lisa La Vallee