In a recent interview Microsoft s founder, who became the largest single owner of private farmland in the US this January, said rich countries should switch to synthetic "beef" in order to reduce carbon emissions and protect the climate.

„I do think all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference,” Bill Gates told the MIT Technology Review in a recent interview.

The replacement of beef with synthetic and plant-based meats is something environmentalists have been pushing for quite some time now, in a bid to reduce carbon emissions.

Bill Gates, who spoke out for climate protection and sustainable agriculture on many occasions in recent years, became the biggest owner of farmland in the US this January. 

Gates currently owns 242,000 acres of farm and agricultural land in the United States.

Topping the global list of biggest private landowners is media mogul John Malone from Liberty Media, who owns 2.2 million acres of ranch land and forests, and CNN founder Ted Turner, who has around 2 million acres of land.