Life On a Planet of Insects

Elizabeth Zimmerman
LONDON We are not a planet of man, we are on a planet of
insects, said speaker Marcel Dicke during his TED talk in July 2010.
While pacing the stage wearing a shirt covered in drawings of different
six-legged creatures, Dicke presented his findings on the positive
impact that insects have on our daily lives without us being aware of
them.

In terms of biomass, insects are more abundant than we are, Dicke

said as pictures of him enjoying a fried caterpillar in China appeared on
the screen behind him. Dicke shared an anecdote about his days in a
small Chinese village and how he could eat something new every
day thanks to the abundance of insect dishes. There are more than
1000 species of insects being eaten around the world. In places like
China, insects help to widen the culinary variety.

Bringing the idea of insect consumption more local, Dicke shared facts
about the insects that Americans eat without knowing most of which
come from processed foods.

All processed foods contain more protein than we can be aware of,
said Dicke. He shared that many of the foods we eat daily contain

insects. Some of these insect-rich foods are chocolate, peanut butter

and tomato soup.

However most Westerners receive their protein not from processed

foods, but from farmlands. Dicke warned the audience of the negative
effects that livestock can have on their health, the environment and
the economy.

Dangers to human health can occur while consuming livestock that can
share diseases. However in insects, there is no recombination of
disease.

Looking at the issue more economically, Dicke took into consideration

how much feed would produce both beef and locusts. When given 10
kilograms of feed to each group, only 1 kilogram of beef was produced
in contrast to 9 kilograms of locust.

Environmentally, the other 9 kilograms of feed given to livestock

results in excess waste mostly manure. More manure means more
ammonia and greenhouse gases, which are considered harmful to our
environment. With locusts, however, there is much less waste, which
means a much happier Mother Nature.

With the growing population of the world, there are constantly more
mouths to feed and less food to do it with, according to Dicke. His
studies have shown that consumption of meats like livestock, fish and
game are rising rapidly in industrialized countries. If we dont increase
livestock production by 70 percent, we wont make it, Dicke said.

In many Westernized countries, insects have a stigma surrounding

them that makes them less appetizing than in many other areas of the
world. Dicke and his research partners have taken it upon themselves
to change the mindset of consumers and make insects more appealing
for consumption.

Dicke ended with a challenge to his audience, You should try it

yourself today, enjoy.