As any healthy vegetarian will undoubtedly tell you, meat production accounts for about 9% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions across the globe.  What’s more, the growing middle class in Asian and Indian cultures that consumed an almost exclusively plant-based diet are soon going to demand a seared side of animal flesh with their dinners.  How do we balance the carbon impact of our food systems with the desire for dense, protein-rich goodness?

Well,   some enterprising (and apparently weirdo) scientists have concluded that we can stem the rising tide of carbon dioxide by switching a significant proportion of our protein production to…. wait for it…. INSECTS!?!  (Now, who’s going to stem the rising tide of vomit in my throat?)

Think I’m kidding?

However, the CO₂ production per kg of mass gain for the five insect species in the current study (337–1,539 g/kg) was either 39% (minimum values) or 129% (maximum values) when compared with pigs (865–1,194 g/kg) and much lower (12%–54% respectively) than cattle (2,835 g/kg). Therefore, CO₂ production per kg of mass gain suggests higher feed conversion efficiencies for insects than for mammalian livestock.

This study therefore indicates that insects could serve as a more environmentally friendly alternative for the production of animal protein from the perspective of GHG and NH₃ emissions.

Excellent!  Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu, shall we?

How about a nice meal worm and endive salad to start?

Cricket "pop"-overs? Don't mind if I do!

How would monsieur enjoy a locust beurre blanc?

Sun beetles go great with bananas!

And for dessert, why not try a Dubia cockroach? I hear the juveniles are especially tender.

So there you have it – a five course meal with the delectable critters shown to reduce your carbon footprint, while filling your stomach.

I, for one, will admit that I have neither the environmental empathy, nor the gastric constitution, to switch my protein from mammal to mealy worm.  In fact, I would prefer any of the following:

1. Vegetables, nuts, and beans
2. Soylent green
3. Starvation

You can follow my lead, of course, but before you turn your nose up at the meal scuttling off your plate, remember: if you eat lobster, you already enjoy the cockroach of the sea.  Bon appetit!

via Slashdot

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