Microsoft founder Bill Gates has urged people to adopt a plant-based diet to help save the planet on a recent talk show.

Speaking on The David Rubenstein Show, Bill Gates discussed various topics such as global warming, carbon emissions, and benefits of vegan meat.

He went on to explain why vegan meat was a more environmentally-friendly option compared to its animal variant.

He said: “Of all the categories, the one that has gone better than I would have expected five years ago is this work to make what’s called artificial meat.

“It’s slightly healthier for you in terms of less cholesterol.

 “It’s, of course, a dramatic reduction in methane emissions, you know, animal cruelty, manure management, and the pressure meat consumption puts on land use.”

Gates has frequently voiced his opinion on the importance of reducing meat consumption. “Cows alone account for about six percent of global emissions,” he revealed in the interview.

In an earlier Twitter post, the Microsoft magnate wrote: “If all the cattle in the world joined together to start their own country, they would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

In a blog-post titled “Should We Eat Meat?” Gates explained: “Raising animals can take a big toll on the environment. You have to feed the animal far more calories than you extract when you eat it.

 “It’s especially problematic as we convert large swaths of land from crops that feed people to crops that feed cows and pigs.”

Gates’ vegan ventures

Gates has initiated several sustainable ventures to facilitate a vegan future.

• He has invested in plant-based meat brands Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods.
• He has sponsored Memphis Meats, a start-up company that develops clean meat from animal cells thereby reducing the environmental impact of meat production and saving animals from undue cruelty.
• The tech entrepreneur has also led a $90 million investment in the startup Motif Ingredients that has been tasked to bioengineer vegan friendly ingredients that mimic vitamins and proteins found in milk or meat.
• His charitable foundation has funded Apeel Sciences to create an organic, invisible, safe plant-based coating that allow fruits and vegetables to remain fresh for a longer period of time.

• Read: Lewis Hamilton defends environmental posts after claims of hypocrisy

What do you think of Bill Gates’s efforts to promote veganism? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!