When researchers and scientists presented the world with a way to produce meat without the usual means, people were astonished since it will solve a lot of problems in both supply and the ethics of slaughtering livestock. However, it may actually cause more harm than good to Earth.
Carbon Emissions from Producing Meat
Animal cell-based meat (ACBM) or more known as lab-grown meat, in a fresh perspective, seems like a good way to avoid the trouble of raising and slaughtering farm animals for sustenance, yet studies found that it might not be the most environment-friendly solution.
It's said that if growing meat in labs becomes more prominent to supply the market, it could lead to the emission of CO2 growing four to 25 times larger than the traditional process. This can be problematic since one of the selling points of the endeavor is to reduce carbon emissions.
According to Interesting Engineering, billions of dollars are invested specifically in the ACBM sector based on a thesis saying that the product is more eco-friendly than actual beef. Unlike livestock, lab-grown meat does not require land, water, and antibiotics.
In this case, the fossil fuels that are needed in the process of purification that supply the lab cells with nutrients have been overlooked. Without this step, endotoxins will not be eliminated which will affect the reproduction of the cells.
The study's author states that the use of the refinement methods contributes to the economic and environmental cost significantly when it comes to pharmaceutical products, given that both are "energy and resource intensive," as mentioned in the report.
One solution that the author has proposed is the creation of cell lines that are able to survive higher amounts of endotoxins, as it will reduce the need for purification processes that take up a lot of resources and produce carbon emissions.
Should the process continue, researchers estimated that each kilogram of animal cell-based meat produced equates to around 246 kilograms to 1,508 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions, which means that this method is more trouble than it's worth.
What Exactly is Lab-Grown Meat?
It is as stated in the name, which is meat grown without the natural process of raising livestock. Scientists will only take the stem cells of the animal, which develops muscle and other organs, and then create cultured meat with what is harvested.
The stem cells will be provided with amino acids and carbohydrates, which are needed for them to grow. Muscle fibers will grow and it will look like ground meat, according to GCF Global. Aside from beef, labs have also been growing chicken and duck.
As of right now, the cost of production for lab-grown meat is still high, which means that it could still cost consumers more than retail beef. Other than the discovered emission of its process, the production methods still need to be cheaper to be a more widely accepted source.
If all the issues are sorted out, it can be the solution to shortages of livestock in some areas and the issues of animal slaughter, but it may also raise concerns when it comes to the livelihood of some farmers and butchers since it is their source of income.
