Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan offers solution to global warming

May 8, 2014: Chair of the Africa Progress Panel, Kofi Annan, attends a media launch of the Africa Progress Report 2014 in London. (Reuters)

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has a solution for global warming: Eat bugs.

In an interview with The Guardian, Annan called the global livestock industry "a major threat to the climate" and suggested insects as an alternative protein source to meat.

"Eating insects is good for the environment and balanced diets," he said.

Annan told The Guardian that the growing population and middle class are making it more difficult to meet meat demands.

"It represents 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations," he said.

"[Insects] make up part of the diet of 2 billion people and are commonly eaten in many parts of the world," Annan told The Guardian.

He added that in addition to helping the environment, keeping meat consumption to recommended levels would "reduce heart disease, cancer, and other diseases."

Annan served as the secretary general from 1997 to 2006.

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