Should we be eating bugs and insects rather than beef to help us avoid disastrous climate change? - Literature Review

Photo of Skewered Scorpions , Shanghai , by Laura Parenti

This literature review considers whether eating bugs and insects rather than beef could help avoid the environmental crisis currently facing humanity. According to a 2021 United Nations study issued at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, global greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and food production have risen 17% per cent over the past 30 years, accounting for 31% (16.5bn tonnes) of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. When put together with the comments in an article on the Natural History Museum website which states that ‘Economically and ecologically, it’s much more efficient to rear insects than livestock.’ (Hopkinson: year unknown, www), this suggests that eating insects rather than beef is better for the environment and would be easier to produce than livestock. Although the date the article was written is unclear, it is from a respected institution and references current UN population growth estimates and current statistics from the UN food and Agricultural organisation and therefore can be considered a relevant source.

One source showing that eating bugs and insects instead of meat is an effective switch to make is a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it notes that insects offer ‘between 9.96 g and 35.2 g of protein per 100 g, compared with 16.8–20.6 g for meat.’ (Payne et al: 2016, www) Although these findings show that the amount of protein does vary quite a lot depending on which insects are being eaten, of over 2,100 types of edible insects, the authors report that crickets, certain types of ant and mealworms show the most potential, due to their high calorie and protein density. The authors go on to note that as the world population continues to rise, from 7.7 billion in 2019 to 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.9 billion in 2100, insects could prove to be a potential alternative source of protein that can be produced on a sustainable, large scale. The study goes on to explain how farming insects can be carried out at low cost and with a reduced impact on the environment, compared to livestock farming. By way of example, the authors point out that

(Payne et al: 2016, www) Although insects have not been farmed on a commercial scale for human consumption until fairly recently, the study goes on to point out that edible insects have been a useful and important source of protein for thousands of years. For example, the mopane caterpillar is sold widely in local markets and supermarkets in southern Africa, and in recent years there have been attempts to farm mopane worms in dedicated mopane forests, planted specifically to meet increasing demand for the worms. Elsewhere in the world, the authors note that insect farming for human consumption on a commercial scale has been taking place in Southeast Asia since the late 1990s, citing the examples of the production of palm weevils and crickets in Thailand. Similarly, the African palm weevil and Mexican grasshopper, which are both delicacies, are also now being produced commercially in their respective regions. This information can be considered reliable because it is sourced from a peer reviewed academic journal and authored by respected experts in their field at Oxford University and Rikkyo University, Tokyo.

In an article published for the 2022 World Economic Forum annual meeting of business leaders in Davos, argue that human consumption of animal protein is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and thus climate change and that insects are an overlooked source of protein and a way to combat climate change. The authors point out that farming of insects use ‘less land, less feed, less water, less transport fuel and less human labour’ (Awaysheh and Picard: 2022, www) when compared to rearing livestock, and as a result, has a significantly smaller environmental impact on the world. They also note that, while the plants grown in arable agriculture do not produce greenhouse gases in their own right, ‘they do require land and machinery use, water use, manufacturing, processing and transportation, among other matters - all, during which, carbon is emitted’. (Awaysheh and Picard: 2022, www) We can trust the source of this information because it is written by two professors at recognised US universities and is published by the renowned World Economic Forum.

Another benefit of entomophagy is that insect farming can provide a stable income for farmers,

particularly in less developed countries, a point made by Doberman, Swift and Field who conclude that producing edible insects for food could help to ‘level the playing field’ (Doberman, Swift and Field: 2017, www) regarding farmer incomes. As they note, insect farming ‘does not require a lot of land or expensive machinery. Even the poorest segment of the population in our least developed countries can do it and make a profit’. (Doberman, Swift and Field: 2017, www) They estimate that insect farming can also provide a stable income to established farmers, who can earn net incomes of between $5000-$10,000 a year in countries where the average gross income is about $5640 per year, thus bringing wider societal benefits to the poorer members of the global economy. This source of information can be considered reliable since it is authored by three scientists from Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, one of the oldest and most respected agricultural research institutions in the world.

Although it is clear from the above research that eating bugs and insects rather than beef is a much more environmentally sustainable form of food production that has less impact on the environment and can bring wider benefits for society, a large obstacle to implementation is the suspicious attitude towards insect-eating held by many. However, the practice of eating insects is much more widespread than might be first thought, particularly if looking at the issue from a Western point of view. In fact, as reported by the Guardian newspaper, ‘more than 1,000 insects are known to be eaten by choice around the world, in 80% of nations. They are most popular in the tropics, where they grow to large sizes and are easy to harvest’.

(Carrington: 2010, www) As a result, insects are widely eaten in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Regardless, even if Western take up of insect eating is low and potentially slow to change, there are small and meaningful ways to introduce insect proteins into your food chain. For example, Awaysheh and Picard (2022) suggest that it can be incorporated into our lives as livestock feed. They report that ‘the environmental impact of the feed that is used in raising these animals is substantial. Approximately 45 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in animal production is due to the feed production for the animals to consume.’ (Awaysheh and Picard: 2022, www) The authors then go on to report the remarkable statistic, pointing out that ‘Dogs and cats currently consume one quarter of the meat that is produced in the U.S.’ This emphasises the fact that the world is potentially running out of protein which is made by (Payne et al: 2016, www) when they talk about the global population increasing to around 10 billion within 30 years.

This review was intended to assess whether eating bugs and insects rather than beef could help avoid disastrous climate change. The literature reviewed shows consensus amongst scientists that insects can provide a nutritious alternative to livestock while, at the same time, having a significantly reduced impact on the environment through reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Although insects form part of the diet for a large proportion of the world’s population, there are barriers of perception to overcome if insects are to replace more traditional sources of protein in the western world.

Bibliography Awaysheh, A, Picard, C. (2022). 5 reasons why eating insects could reduce climate change. Available: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/how-insects-positively-impact-climate-change/. Last accessed: 24 June 2022. Carrington, D. (2010). Insects could be the key to meeting food needs of growing global population. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/ environment/2010/aug/01/insects-food-emissions. Last accessed: 24 June 2022. Doberman, D., Swift, J., Field, L. (2017). Opportunities and hurdles of edible insects for food and feed. Available: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/full/10.1111/nbu.12291. Last accessed: 24 June 2022. Hopkinson, S. (year unknown). Eat insects, save the world. Available: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/eat-insects-save-the-world.html. Last accessed: 24 June 2022. Terazono, E. (2021). Food systems emissions rose 17% over past three decades, UN says. Available: https://www.ft.com/content/c9ba6b7fe8f9-4758-9890-6b53a39f987b. Last accessed: 24 June 2022. Payne, C., Scarborough, P., Rayner, M., and Nonaka, K. (2016). Are edible insects more or less ‘healthy’ than commonly consumed meats? A comparison using two nutrient profiling models developed to combat over- and undernutrition. Available: e.