Insects as a New Protein Source
Demographics
1. Malnourished Countries:
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Insects as sources of protein are heavily directed to the poorer countries and areas with little food. Recent demographics show that countries like Haiti, Chad, or Madagascar do not have suitable food supply to sustain their population.
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Looking at the figure to the right, it can be seen that there is a trend between higher CO2 emissions and lower child malnourishment rates. Countries such as Chad, Uganda, and Niger have some of the lowest CO2 emissions, but the highest malnourishment rates with 38% of children under 5 in Niger dealing with malnutrition.
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While it is extremely important to decrease these malnutrition rates, it would be ideal to keep CO2 emissions low. This is where insects would come into play, because they can be an excellent source of protein that keep carbon dioxide emissions down.
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2. Developed Countries:
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Insects can be a practical and environmentally conscious solution to introducing protein in areas that didn't previously have protein sources, but in order to cut GHG emissions from the livestock sector, they should be considered as a potential protein source in developed countries to eliminate farming of ruminant animals. ​
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Globally the livestock industry produces 7.1 GT of CO2 per year, which accounts for 14.5% of anthropogenic GHG emissions. Cattle in particular exhibit extremely high GHG emissions (CO2, CH4) because of the large amount of food it takes to feed the cattle and the process of their digestion (enteric fermentation).
The first pie chart on the right shows the activity breakdown of associated livestock industry GHG emissions, and the true source of these emissions is not transport or storage, but rather the food for the livestock and the enteric fermentation from ruminants (primarily cattle).
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The second pie chart breaks down how much these emissions can be attributed to each type of meat. Cows make up a bulk, with 61% of emissions coming from beef and cattle milk. Developed countries love the products that come from cows, but there is no denying that cows are not a sustainable option for the future. Insects can provide the same amount of protein at extremely reduced GHG emissions.
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