We could live with 9bn vegetarians

The world population is indeed growing inexorably (report, 28 October). Would the planet be able to sustain a population of 9 billion by 2050? Yes it could, as the planet is sustaining more than 65 billion animals raised for meat consumption every year. There are at any time three times more chickens on the planet than human beings. A move away from a predominantly meat-based diet to a plant-based vegetarian and vegan diet is imperative if we are to avoid mass starvation.

Nitin Mehta
Croydon