How Alternative Proteins Can Help the Environment

Alternative proteins are proteins acquired from plants, insects, mushrooms, or lab-grown materials that are intended to replace the proteins we acquire from animals. They are needed because they will allow us to get the nutrients we need without having to consume large amount of energy and water by raising livestock and manufacturing them into meat-based products.

Lab-grown meat helps eliminate the need of any agricultural activity. The lab-based products mimic meat and provides us with the necessary proteins we need. This way, energy use and emissions during the livestock farming process can all be eliminated.

Harvesting proteins from insects, on the other hand, still requires us to carry out agricultural activity but allows us to do so with very little energy input and emission output. Compared to large animals, the raising of insects only requires very little food. We no longer have to do mass scale deforestation and irrigation just to cultivate many crops that animals can graze on.