Our government nudge people seem intent on pushing us to eating protein from insects. Many of us find that thought unappealing. I read an article today
The senten ce that caught my attention was:
Prof Guy Poppy from UK Research and Innovation, a Government quango that is providing funding to the centre, said “Culturally in the UK, why is it that people might be happy to eat a prawn but not an insect? Understanding why that is the case would be helpful”.
I asked AI about the relationship between insects and prawns, and it told me that they shared a common ancestor about 500 Million years ago, round about the time that the first fish-like vertebrates were beginning to appear, though they were still very primitive compared to modern fish.
So, Prof., seems quite a long time since they could sensibly be linked.
I then persuaded the AI (Perplexity in this case) to do an analysis of various estimates of protein production vs CO2 outputs and compare them with our most popular meat protein source, chicken. Here’s the results. Eating insects might be better, but also might be worse, and averaging, probably a bit better, around 50kg CO2 per year, the difference broadly equivalent to driving about 244 miles in an average car, around 3% of typical annual car driving. Really, it’s in the noise. Government are trying to force this on us against our will, with very little benefit. So, pretty much like every other current govt policy then.
Here is the AI output:
Chicken Consumption and CO2 Emissions in the UK
Total poultry meat consumption per capita in the UK: 34.1 kg in 2021
Carbon footprint of chicken: 6.9 kg CO2eq per 1 kg of chicken
Annual CO2 emissions from chicken consumption: 34.1 kg × 6.9 kg CO2eq/kg = 235.29 kg CO2eq per person per year
Protein content of chicken: 31g per 100g
Annual protein consumption from chicken: 34.1 kg × 0.31 = 10.57 kg of protein per year
CO2 Emissions Comparison: Chicken vs Insects
Chicken
22.26 kg CO2eq per kg of protein (235.29 kg CO2eq ÷ 10.57 kg protein)
Insects (range based on various studies)
Optimistic scenario (based on Halloran et al., 2017):
Cricket farming emits half as much CO2 as chicken farming
Approximately 11.13 kg CO2eq per kg of protein
Pessimistic scenario (based on Suckling et al., 2020):
Emissions nearly double those of broiler chickens
Approximately 33.49 kg CO2eq per kg of protein
Moderate scenario (based on Vauterin et al., 2021):
Insects reared on industrial side-streams: 17.38 kg CO2eq per kg of protein
Insects reared on industrial animal feed: 25.82 kg CO2eq per kg of protein
Potential CO2 Savings by Switching to Insects
To match 10.57 kg of protein from chicken:
Optimistic scenario:
CO2 emissions: 10.57 kg × 11.13 kg CO2eq/kg = 117.64 kg CO2eq
Potential savings: 235.29 – 117.64 = 117.65 kg CO2eq per person per year (50% reduction)
Pessimistic scenario:
CO2 emissions: 10.57 kg × 33.49 kg CO2eq/kg = 353.99 kg CO2eq
Potential increase: 353.99 – 235.29 = 118.70 kg CO2eq per person per year (50% increase)
Moderate scenario (insects reared on industrial side-streams):
CO2 emissions: 10.57 kg × 17.38 kg CO2eq/kg = 183.71 kg CO2eq
Potential savings: 235.29 – 183.71 = 51.58 kg CO2eq per person per year (22% reduction)
Analysis
The potential CO2 savings from switching from chicken to insects vary widely depending on the insect farming methods and study context:
In the best-case scenario, based on studies in tropical climates, switching to insects could reduce emissions by up to 50%.
In the worst-case scenario, based on studies in cooler climates requiring heating, switching to insects could potentially increase emissions by up to 50%.
A more moderate scenario, based on insects reared on industrial side-streams, suggests a potential reduction of about 22% in CO2 emissions.
It’s crucial to note that these figures can vary significantly based on factors such as:
Geographical location and climate (affecting heating requirements)
Insect species farmed
Farming practices and feed sources
Scale of production
The wide range of results underscores the need for further research and optimization of insect farming techniques, particularly in Western contexts, to realize the potential environmental benefits of insect protein.
Equating that not very massive 50kg of CO2 saving to driving a car…
To calculate how many miles the average car would need to drive to produce 51.58 kg of CO2, we’ll use the data provided in the search results:From result :
The average car in the UK emits 132.0 grams of CO2 per km, which is equivalent to 211.2 grams per mile.Let’s convert our target CO2 amount to grams:
51.58 kg = 51,580 grams
Now, we can calculate the miles driven:Miles = 51,580 grams ÷ 211.2 grams/mile
= 244.22 miles
Therefore, the average car in the UK would need to drive approximately 244 miles to produce 51.58 kg of CO2.To put this in perspective, the search results also mention that the average car in the UK drives about 6,600 miles per year. So, 244 miles represents about 3.7% of the average annual mileage.This calculation demonstrates that the potential CO2 savings from switching to insect protein (51.58 kg CO2 in the moderate scenario) is equivalent to the emissions produced by driving an average UK car for about 244 miles.
Is it really worth swapping from eating chicken to insects? No it isn’t.