Rich countries should start consuming 100% synthetic beef: Bill Gates

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has stated that rich nations should switch to the dietary choice of "100% synthetic beef" in an effort to tackle climate change.   

When asked a question about cutting back methane gas emissions at an interview with MIT’s Technology Review, Gates said, “I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef.”

He said that the population will get used to the "taste difference" and the taste will get better "over time".

"You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time. Eventually, that green premium is modest enough that you can sort of change the [behavior of] people or use regulation to totally shift the demand,” Gates added.

However, he said that it won't be viable for the 'poorest 80 countries' as “we’ll have to use animal genetics to dramatically raise the amount of beef per emissions for them.”

Research has shown that burping cows are massive emissions contributors impacting greenhouse gas methane in the world. It cited that cattle emissions were almost the same as fossil fuels.

Bill Gates has a new book out called “How to avoid a climate disaster: The solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need” which was released Tuesday.  

Earlier, Gates had said that that 'climate change' and 'bio-terrorism' are two disasters that human beings are not prepared for.

Speaking on bio-terrorism, Gates said that an individual could now easily engineer a deadly virus, and the possibility of encountering such viruses is more than any naturally-caused epidemics like the COVID-19.

He further said that if a disaster like that strikes, human-kind is possibly looking towards a death toll that is greater than the current pandemic. And since it's man-made it has a chance of happening every year.

On the COVID-19 crisis, he said that 'there is no good feeling' with something like that.

“Respiratory diseases are very scary because you’re still walking around on a plane, a bus when you’re infectious. Unlike some other diseases like ebola where you are mostly in a hospital bed by the time viral load infects other people,” Gates had said.