Setup
Meat production requires far more water, grain, land, and fossil fuel than anything else we eat – for example, one pound of beef requires 1,800 gallons of water. Given the upheavals of climate change and population growth, relying on livestock to feed a hungry planet is not viable. Fortunately, innovators are creating plant-based foods that mimic the taste and texture of meat, promoting edible insect farming, and developing new products that use insects as a primary ingredient. What incentives are needed to produce non-meat protein alternatives on a massive scale? Will consumers who can afford meat be willing to make the shift?
- 2016 Health
- Environment
- Health
Explore More
Environment
![Meet 7 Women Leading the Way to a Brighter Climate Future](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/11e09403-1a70-4720-abb0-8c203f892106/GettyImages-1415703633.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=400&q=80&rect=738%2C0%2C3733%2C3733&w=400)
Women are crucial to the climate movement, but their voices are often underrepresented and their work goes under-supported. Meet just a few of the women from this year’s Aspen...
![10 Newsmaking Conversations from Aspen Ideas: Health 2024](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/58daefc2-333d-4d2e-b5b1-8ca0d98462be/240620_reception_001.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=267&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C4000%2C2667&w=400)
From the debate over reproductive rights to the epidemic of gun violence to the youth mental health crisis, this year's Aspen Ideas: Health sessions tackled many of today's mo...
![Extreme Heat: The Silent Killer of Climate Change](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/b5e2e176-6cbe-4d92-b593-011e59139c36/6.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C97%2C4651%2C2616&w=400)
Heat is now the top weather-related cause of death in the U.S., killing more people than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined. An environmental journalist and two city ch...
![There’s an Energy Transition Happening in Your Backyard](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/038a9839-e479-49fe-ab58-0fbb6194b7d8/energytransition.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C430%2C8256%2C4644&w=400)
Every transition comes with tradeoffs, and even clean energy carries negative consequences. As they mine for critical minerals or build solar arrays on sensitive land, clean e...
![Sci-Fi or Reality? Talking Tomorrow’s Climate Tech](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/67c1104a-0ac3-459e-9a92-d199aebe8b33/53821312503_cbf498aa31_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=1292%2C0%2C2067%2C3100&w=400)
It sounds like sci-fi: Scientists are beaming solar energy from space, subbing seaweed for plastic and brightening clouds to reflect sunlight to lower temperatures in a warmin...
![Amazon Presents: How AI is Transforming Health Care](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/88dd2ba6-9d8d-4355-911f-e75f1e164753/240627_ai_healthcare_013.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C208%2C4000%2C2250&w=400)
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing health care by improving patient navigation, telehealth and the speed of drug development. From enhancing patient and provider exper...
![Presented by GE Vernova: It’s Electrifying! Tech and Climate Reshape Everything, Everywhere, All at Once](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/a3e37e2c-0596-4e40-ac71-5a6f22b8749d/240626_electrifying_006.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C208%2C4000%2C2250&w=400)
Even as the clean energy transition is underway, AI and global development are demanding more energy than ever. What’s the best plan to bring massive amounts of zero- and low-...
![Mount Sinai Presents: Brain-Computer Interface Revolution](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/1f033dc8-4086-4ae8-9f58-448c89ffc1df/240625_braincomputer_009.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C207%2C4000%2C2250&w=400)
Brain-computer interfaces show potential to restore function to people impacted by incurable neurological conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury...
![Creating a World With People on the Spectrum](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/8283e9fe-6c1f-4f23-babe-0006cbcedd33/53816186173_f986a725ce_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=1325%2C0%2C1968%2C2952&w=400)
Neurodivergent people make up 15% to 20% of the global population, and visionaries are busy trying to foster welcoming environments in areas like adaptive sports, fashion des...
![Climate of Hope](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/7a778d45-9072-483d-bc15-ec7c61ffac34/53817220503_5fae6aa65a_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C173%2C4651%2C2618&w=400)
Amid the stark realities of our planet's degradation, there are bright glimmers of hope in conservation efforts around the world. Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier use mas...
![Prudential Financial Presents: What Living to 100 Means for Work and Wealth](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/fceaec56-d6ae-43f2-9e24-6983a3cdfe40/workandhealth.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C485%2C4651%2C2616&w=400)
Across the globe, humans are living and working longer than ever — and today’s systems, governments and businesses aren’t prepared. Examine how we can reimagine work, wealth a...
![The $38 Trillion Dollar Question](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/3778bfb8-3af0-4481-bb4b-dbe117272b39/johnkerry.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C688%2C5504%2C3096&w=400)
In a recent op-ed, former U.S. climate envoy and secretary of state John Kerry declared that rich countries are failing to respond to the climate crisis. If extreme weather wi...
![Allstate Presents: Not a Drill — Transitioning to a Lower-Carbon World](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/d611c6df-e56f-4503-80aa-920b24aa3f29/240624_lowercarbonworld_020.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=1112%2C0%2C1776%2C2664&w=400)
As society focuses on mitigating human climate impact, economies shift away from carbon-based energy sources — which impacts individuals, businesses and governments. Beyond su...
![Are We Ready For Pandemic X?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/05b0d43e-1ff9-4d23-9735-aee253157755/53814590409_91983fd81a_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C430%2C8256%2C4644&w=400)
Given what we learned from the global turbulence from COVID-19, are we any more prepared for the next pandemic? Author and journalist Michael Lewis and Adar Poonawalla, CEO of...
![Is There a Future for Oil and Gas?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/3e0697fb-a5cc-41dc-b779-80f908d2f843/53813710096_1115f4aea8_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C312%2C6000%2C3375&w=400)
Renewables are on the rise, but so is fossil fuel consumption as global development demands more and more. Does the oil and gas industry have a role in reaching net-zero goals...
![Francis Collins on Science and Faith](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/6bfedb4f-4e98-45ef-a03c-fdc78698e0d5/53811234024_81d87a8491_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C5843%2C3289&w=400)
Few people are more deeply steeped in science than Francis Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health and the groundbreaking Human Genome Project, and forme...
![Closing the Climate Gap for Girls and Women](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/7c58f9e1-944f-43e1-91a6-70ea591b4afe/53811270499_6a024c72b2_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=873%2C0%2C2258%2C3380&w=400)
Climate change is a threat multiplier with a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations. Girls and women, who are denied equitable access to education and economic oppo...
![Aspen Ideas: Health Closing Session](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/43030c8f-3f87-43e9-a2a1-f35ca0aab1c1/240623_closing_010.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C43%2C4000%2C2250&w=400)
Featuring inspiring conversations, the closing session is not to be missed. First, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Jennifer Ashton of ABC News explore the loneliness epi...
![Understanding Grief](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/2468836f-deab-46b8-b329-f9d2dd64c34e/53809707833_3f38e415da_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C902%2C5504%2C3091&w=400)
The experience of loss alters the map of the world imprinted on our brain, disrupting patterns and expectations as it struggles to form new ones. Grief is a kind of longing, n...
![How Genetic Data is Transforming Cancer and Other Diseases](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/c09328de-b753-47f7-b77f-ba466819b598/53810267133_dbec28571d_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C4651%2C2618&w=400)
The idea of gathering DNA samples into a vast database in order to identify disease risks and breakthrough therapies was once a distant dream. Not long ago, immunotherapy seem...