Want to save the planet? Eat protein from mushrooms and algae instead of red meat | Adrienne Matei

Replacing 20% of our meat with microbial protein could dramatically reduce carbon emissions and the rate of deforestation, a new study has found

Replacing just one fifth of the red meat we eat with microbial proteins derived from fungi or algae could reduce annual deforestation by a massive 56% come 2050, according to a study published this spring.

Climate scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research simulated four future scenarios in which humans replace either 0%, 20%, 50% or 80% of the red meat in our diets with microbial protein, which is a low-calorie, high-protein and high-fiber fermented product that's already an ingredient in some commercial alt-meats, including Quorn and Nature's Fynd. The researchers then looked at how this dietary change might affect global forests by 2050.

Adrienne Matei is a freelance journalist