There are different possibilities to generate water just from air. Because the air always contains at least some amount of humidity, the atmosphere is in some way like an untapped water reservoir. There are different (new) technoloies to turn that humidity into liquid water. When we manage to do that with a specific device we can call that device an atmospheric water generator (AWG). As drinking water is scarce in many places of the world, needs a lot of energy to be created from seawater or to be transported from one place to another, local AWGs could reduce the environmental impact of water supply. The AWG that was developed by ETH Zurich doesn´t need any energy and is surprisingly effective. It basically works thanks to radiative cooling (This effect is also used to generate electicity 1, 2 or to cool homes). The cone shaped reflective upper part (see image) works as a radiation shield. Just below inside (not visible) is a specially coated plate that uses the above mentioned radiative cooling within the atmospheric window to be cooled up to 15 degrees beneath air temperature. The water in the air condensates and thanks to a superhydrophobic coating on the backside of the plate, the waterdroplets fall off the disc into a water container. Especially thanks to that last part, no additional energy is needed which is revolutionary compared to other condensators where the waterdrops have to be wiped off. Which would require energy. This condensator from ETH could harvest up to half a litre of water per square meter per hour. Another promising new technolgy that also works without additional energy is the condensator developed by University of California scientists who are using so called MOF´s.
Today it is technologically possible to grow real muscle cells (meat) in the lab. A bit similar to hydroponics for vegetables, with lab meat we can put exactly the ingredients and energy where it is needed. Without having to breed a whole animal and a whole life first. Which might not only be unethical but also consumes much more resources.
Vegetables and fruits can be grown without soil, only in water. Vegetables in hydroculture are usually grown indoors and in an automated process. Advantages; Much less water is needed (water doesn't "disappear" in the ground and can be used again), and less space. Each plant gets exactly the nutritients it needs. They therefore usually grow better and stronger than plants in the field as everything can be monitored. The nutritients are put directly in the water. Usually less fertilizer is needed and the groundwater will be less negatively impacted. Sometimes hydronics is combined with vertical farming (plants stacked over one other) to increase total "farmland"). In some facilities they use a little bit of soil where the seeds and roots grow, in others no soil at all is being used. But the principle stays more or less the same. And of course each company is constantly trying to optimise their way of production and their products. In my local supermarket in Switzerland for example they are transporting and selling hydroculture grown lettuce with the roots in a little bit of soil. Like that the plant stays fresh and can even be replanted in your garden or your terrace at home. If you leave some small leaves in the middle - in my experience - it will regrow.
Previously considered a no go in the Western world, because of its environmental or even health benefits, eating insects is becoming more and more popular. Most people probably still wouldn't like to see the actual worms or legs and feelers of the insects when they are eating them. That's why they probably taste best when they are "wrapped" in an insect meat burger.
In Switzerland and in the European Union insects have recently been approved to be safe for consumption. So now it is possible to find insect burgers and other insect products at the grocery store. Insects provide a lot of protein and contain many vitamines. Probably more than actual meat.
We are a lot of people on this planet. And we keep getting more and more. By the end of the year 2022 we will pass 8 billions. So to be able to feed all of us we will get out of farmland sooner or later. But even for that problem there are solutions. With the right measures there's probably enough food and ressources in this world for twice as many. One solution to the food problem is vertical gardening. There might not be enough horizontal space. But when we start to use the vertical we dan dramatically increase the available farmland. Vertical gardening is even possible at home on your terrass. If you put plants on a shelf you are technically already in the "vertical gardening business". But then of course, vertical gardening is also possible on the big scale. With vegetable plants stacked one above the other and just enough nutricients and water the plant needs. Or a bit more low-tech: Supermarkets who are growing fruits and vegetables on their roofs. Creating "farmland" and saving transportation cost (money and CO2). We can even grow plants and food on the outside of our buildings.
Cows are responsible for 9% of global warming mainly due to... their farts. Cows have a special stomach to be able to turn simple grass into meat and milk. But as a byproduct of that complicated digestive process they are emitting a lot of methane gas. Methane molecules are worse than CO2 because they help keeping even more heat (-> greenhouse effect) in the atmosphere. But scientists have found out that the amount of methane emitted by cows can be significantly reduced by adding certain food supplements. The company Mootral was able to create a supplement made of citrus fruit and garlic. Cows methane emissions could reportedly be reduced by up to 38% (jersey cows) or 20% (holstein cows). The supplement is 100% natural. There are similar companies with other additives that claim to reduce emissions even more. This could substantially reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of milk- and meatproduction.
Plant-based meat is already broadly accepted as a great alternative to real meat and can be found in the shelves of supermarkets around the world. There are now many different brands that are competing which is a good thing since they are pushing the price for plant-base meat down.