Climate change: Weighing up the environmental benefits of replacing beef with microbial protein
A recent modeling study reveals that by 2050, replacing 20% of global beef consumption with fermentation-derived microbial proteins could halve annual deforestation and associated carbon dioxide emissions. Became.However, it has also been pointed out that if the replacement rate is higher than this, the benefits may be diminished.The paper reporting on this research isNature Will be published in.
As the negative environmental impacts of consuming meat from ruminants become apparent (such as greenhouse gas emissions and changes in land use), animal meat-free alternatives are available to improve health and sustainability. Is encouraged by.Previous studies on fermentation-derived microbial proteins such as mycoprotein (a commercial meat substitute) have inferred that they may have environmental benefits.However, such an evaluation method is often a static evaluation method and has restrictions on scalability.
Now, Florian Humpenöder and colleagues show how much environmental impact in terms of land use could occur by 2050 by substituting sugar-based microbial proteins for some meat beef. Was examined on a global scale, taking into account socio-economic factors (increased demand for livestock products, population growth, income growth, etc.).Overall, if 2050% of the world's per capita beef consumption is replaced by microbial proteins by 1, annual deforestation and associated carbon dioxide emissions are criteria for not replacing such meat. It was estimated to be reduced by 20% compared to the scenario.On the other hand, when the replacement rate of meat exceeds this level, it is considered that the land saving effect does not increase linearly.Humpenöder et al. Speculate that this is due to the need for various changes in the agricultural production structure.
The results not only supplement the findings of previous studies, but also more dynamically predict the potential environmental impact of replacing beef with microbial proteins in terms of land use. Humpenöder et al. Conclude that it is a deeper consideration of the circumstances that make up the pressure on the environment.
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Reprinted from: "Climate change: Examining the environmental benefits of replacing beef with microbial proteins'
