Marc Bates, metabolic health coach, has released a comprehensive YouTube video systematically dismantling the widely accepted claim that "the world could only support 500 million people if everyone ate meat." The evidence-based analysis challenges fundamental assumptions about land use and livestock agriculture that have shaped environmental policy discussions for decades.

The video presents data from the Peters et al. study and FAO research demonstrating that 65-80% of global agricultural land is unsuitable for crop production due to terrain, poor soil quality, or water limitations. This non-arable land can only support ruminant livestock, which convert inedible grass into nutrient-dense animal proteins.

"This myth survives because people confuse feedlot beef and industrial grain-fed systems with all forms of meat production," Bates states in the video. "But meat raised on grasslands that humans can't eat from is the most efficient, nutrient-dense, and ecologically compatible way to feed people on this planet."

The analysis highlights regenerative agriculture case studies, including White Oak Pastures in Georgia, where degraded cropland was transformed into carbon-sequestering grassland systems. The operation's lifecycle analysis showed their beef production achieved net carbon sequestration of -3.5 kg CO₂e per kilogram, compared to +33 kg for conventional feedlot beef.

Bates addresses methane emission concerns by explaining the biogenic carbon cycle, where cattle methane breaks down within 10 years unlike fossil CO₂ that accumulates for centuries. The video demonstrates how stable livestock populations remain climate-neutral over time when methane breakdown rates equal emission rates.

The research challenges current food systems dominated by monocrops, with over 60% of global calories derived from wheat, rice, and corn correlating with rising chronic disease rates.