Microbial contributions to climate change through carbon cycle feedbacks are discussed in this review. Soil microbial ecology plays a central role in understanding how carbon exchanges between land and atmosphere respond to climate change. However, the complexity of soil microbial communities and their interactions with climate and other global changes make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. The authors argue that to understand the potential negative and positive contributions of soil microbes to global warming, both direct and indirect impacts of climate change on microorganisms must be considered, as well as complex interactions between microbes, plants, and their environment. They emphasize the need for a multifactor experimental approach to understand how soil microbes and their activities respond to climate change and its consequences for carbon cycle feedbacks. Climate change has both direct and indirect effects on soil microbes, influencing greenhouse gas production and carbon exchange. Direct effects include temperature, precipitation, and extreme weather events, while indirect effects result from changes in plant productivity and diversity, altering soil conditions and microbial communities. Soil microbes play a key role in regulating carbon exchange through decomposition and microbial activity. For example, increased microbial activity due to warming can lead to higher carbon dioxide emissions, creating a positive feedback on climate change. However, extreme weather events such as drought and freezing can have significant effects on microbial communities and their activities, with varying impacts across ecosystems. Indirect effects of climate change on soil microbes occur through changes in plant growth and vegetation composition, which can alter the quality and quantity of organic matter entering the soil. These changes can influence microbial communities and carbon exchange, with potential feedbacks on climate change. Additionally, multiple global change drivers, such as nitrogen deposition and land use change, can interact with climate change to influence soil microbes and their contributions to climate change. The authors highlight the need for future research to consider these complex interactions and develop multifactor experimental approaches to better understand the role of soil microbes in the carbon cycle and climate feedbacks.Microbial contributions to climate change through carbon cycle feedbacks are discussed in this review. Soil microbial ecology plays a central role in understanding how carbon exchanges between land and atmosphere respond to climate change. However, the complexity of soil microbial communities and their interactions with climate and other global changes make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. The authors argue that to understand the potential negative and positive contributions of soil microbes to global warming, both direct and indirect impacts of climate change on microorganisms must be considered, as well as complex interactions between microbes, plants, and their environment. They emphasize the need for a multifactor experimental approach to understand how soil microbes and their activities respond to climate change and its consequences for carbon cycle feedbacks. Climate change has both direct and indirect effects on soil microbes, influencing greenhouse gas production and carbon exchange. Direct effects include temperature, precipitation, and extreme weather events, while indirect effects result from changes in plant productivity and diversity, altering soil conditions and microbial communities. Soil microbes play a key role in regulating carbon exchange through decomposition and microbial activity. For example, increased microbial activity due to warming can lead to higher carbon dioxide emissions, creating a positive feedback on climate change. However, extreme weather events such as drought and freezing can have significant effects on microbial communities and their activities, with varying impacts across ecosystems. Indirect effects of climate change on soil microbes occur through changes in plant growth and vegetation composition, which can alter the quality and quantity of organic matter entering the soil. These changes can influence microbial communities and carbon exchange, with potential feedbacks on climate change. Additionally, multiple global change drivers, such as nitrogen deposition and land use change, can interact with climate change to influence soil microbes and their contributions to climate change. The authors highlight the need for future research to consider these complex interactions and develop multifactor experimental approaches to better understand the role of soil microbes in the carbon cycle and climate feedbacks.