Microsoft co-founder turned billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said he is hopeful that fake meat products will eventually be a "very good" option for consumers even though the share of products in the "meat" market is small.
"I think eventually these products will be very good even though their share is small today"
Gates said in a Reddit forum on a question relating to tackling the climate crisis, first reported by CNBC.
According to Gates, Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, which are plant-based food options ranging from burger to chicken nugget alternatives, and Upside Foods, a food technology company that uses animal cells to grow meat in a laboratory environment, are key steps in reducing animal consumption.
The climate activist praised other traditional methods of avoiding meat, such as vegetarianism or veganism, but observed that most people will not choose to cut meat from their diet.
"I don’t think most people will do that"
He said, noting that alternative meat products were necessary options to therefore lower meat consumption.
This year, the UN warned that efforts outlined in the 2015 Paris Climate Accord to reduce global warming had not been taken sufficiently.
Despite this, Gates stated that he "still believes we can avoid a terrible outcome."
Studies vary when it comes to the effect that animal agriculture has on the greenhouse gas emissions with estimates ranging from roughly 10 to 20 percent of global emissions, though most studies list it as a leading contributor to climate change.
"The pace of innovation is really picking up even though we won’t make the current timelines or avoid going over 1.5 degrees Celcius"
Gates said in response to a question on how adequately the world is responding to global warming.
"The key on climate is making the clean products as cheap as the dirty products in every area of emission — planes, concrete, meat etc," He said. "This is the only way we can ask all the countries in the world to change. If it costs a lot extra we won’t succeed."
"We need support on climate from both parties in the U.S. and in all countries," Gates added, noting that "staying hopeful is a good thing."
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