CBS corner highlights how adding bugs to the food system to fight climate change “could be a game changer”

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By Lindsey Cornick, FOX News

May 14, 2023 | 8:36 PM

CBS Saturday Morning featured a corner suggesting that adding insects to your diet could benefit a growing world affected by climate change.

This corner described the efforts by climate change experts and scientists to investigate agricultural insects to protect the planet against meat, soy-based proteins and other high-carbon foods.

“We all know how important insects are to the environment, But climate researchers say insects could make a big difference in the fight to protect our planet in ways you never imagined,” said host Dana Jacobson.

Reporter Tina Krause explained: “In some parts of the world, it is customary to add insects to the mix in the kitchen. German scientists aren’t trying to put animals on their table, they see other benefits.”

One scientist interviewed said their intention was not to force worms on menus, but to use them as a substitute for animal feed.

“I think this is what we need and that insects are the perfect tool for producing proteins more sustainably,” the scientist argued. “And so many things can be made out of insects that make the world a better place.”

Krause said the development was “blamed for massive deforestation” and was a response to “massive soybean growth”, while the amount of food and water needed to sustain agricultural insects was low. I explained that it is.

“Insects are estimated to be up to 1.2 trillion Farm-raised every year as companies race to find high-protein, low-carbon solutions to feed the animals and the world’s population,” Krause said.

“With insect farming booming around the world, researchers are as busy looking for climate-friendly solutions as they are for bees,” Jacobson concluded.

Climate change activists, including world leaders and celebrities, People have started incorporating insects into their daily diet as a way to sustain the planet.

Contrary to previous predictive models, many insects are expected to survive and even reproduce in warmer climates, according to a recent study from Michigan State University.

But the push to encourage people to eat bugs has met with fierce opposition in the United States.

In March, a video was filmed of a schoolteacher in Utah urging students to eat bugs to save the environment.

“We don’t want to eat bugs, and it’s disgusting. But should we eat bugs? Yes, we’re killing the world by raising cattle and animals. So we We are not killing cows, we are destroying the ozone layer, so we need to balance our diets so that much of the land is not used to raise them,” said the teacher. “All the evidence suggests we should probably eat bugs, which is good for the environment, etc. But I didn’t know it was an offensive topic.”