No one wants to talk about bugs. They're gross, invasive and nightmare inducing. In Starship Troopers they are even imagined as planning the destruction of the human race. With all that bad press, it is easy to understand why scientists are having a hard time convincing people bugs might just be the answer to global warming and food shortages. If you have the uneasy feeling that I'm going to suggest something like we should be embracing entomophagy — the practice of eating bugs — you're right. It just so happens bugs are packed with protein, and eating them in place of red meat would help reduce the impact of livestock production on the planet. Don't be grossed out! Reality shows have given eating bugs a bad rep — many cultures have been eating bugs for millennia. What exactly are they eating? We'll get to that, but first a little bit on exactly why eating bugs could save the planet.