Snake or steak? Study says pythons could could save the meat industry

The current meat industry is affecting food security worldwide, but researchers say python farms could give a solution.

It's no secret that the meat industry has been devastating our environment for quite some time. 

It's responsible for high percentages of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, widespread deforestation, excessive freshwater consumption and other issues that don't sound too sustainable in a time of increasingly faltering agricultural systems.

To make a meaningful change, some environmentalists will say you should switch to a plant-based diet, but to the many people who just can't let go of their meat and potato dinner, that can be a hard ask.

So what if the environmentalists instead just recommended you switch the type of meat you're eating to, say, that of a scaly, slithery reptile? Well, new research claims that's precisely the type of Earth-friendly alternative meat we need to reduce the world's rising food insecurity.

In particular, the research, published in the journal Scientific Reports Thursday, states python-farming could offer a "flexible and efficient response" to the global issue, both in terms of the environment and human nutrition.