Lab-grown Meat: A Sustainable Solution for a Greener Future

In a society burdened by serious environmental challenges, the search for long-term solutions has become an urgent necessity. Among the many new attempts, the development of lab-grown meat is emerging as one of the key solutions to the environmental issues that traditional meat production causes. Due to its promising future prospect, cultivated meat was even on the agenda at the 2022 COP27 climate conference. Lab-grown meat, in simple terms, is meat produced by culturing an animal’s stem cell and building the tissues outside of the animal on the petri dish. This revolutionary product can help save the environment by curtailing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving precious natural resources, and even minimizing antibiotic use.

First, lab-grown meat reduces the tremendous greenhouse gas that conventional meat produces. Conventional meat production method significantly contributes to global warming, particularly because of the huge amount of methane released from livestock. According to the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, livestock farming is responsible for about 7.1 gigatonnes of greenhouse gas, which accounts for 14.5% of global emissions (“Key”). However, if we start adopting lab-grown meat, the meat will be cultivated in controlled lab environments, generating up to 96% lower methane gas than conventionally produced meat (“Lab-grown”).

Additionally, lab-grown meat production eliminates all the required energy for animal-related material transportation and processing, resulting in a lower carbon footprint (Lee). If we adopt lab-grown meat, carcasses or large cuts of meat from slaughterhouses will not be transported to the market for further processing under cooling (Sergelidis 3). Similarly, according to research conducted at the University of Oxford, cultured meat would consume about 7-45% less energy in production than the same volume of pork, beef, or sheep (Goldman 1). Therefore, if the consumption of lab-cultured meat is spread further, it would significantly help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by “both cutting methane emissions and saving energy” that produces a carbon footprint (“Lab-grown”).

Some researchers argue that since the current lab-growing method requires highly refined and purified growth media with animal serum, it actually requires more resources and electricity, which then increases global warming potential (Risner 12). However, numerous methods have been devised that do not utilize animal serum media. For example, the research team at the National University of Singapore invented a novel method of using a magnetic pulse, which applies a finely tuned magnetic field to cultivate stem cells and promote their growth without using growth serum (Wong 7). With the development of the serum-free method, the artificial meat industry can produce more eco-friendly meat, further alleviating the public’s anxiety about environmental contamination and gas emissions (Yamanaka 2). 

The development of lab-grown meat can also create a more sustainable world by conserving natural resources. In terms of land resources, the vast land requirement of livestock farming puts a significant burden on natural habitats and contributes to deforestation. The cattle pasture now occupies 45.1 million hectares of land deforested between 2001 and 2015, accounting for 36% of all tree loss associated with animal agriculture (Goldman 9). Also, through overgrazing and the use of heavy machinery, livestock farming contributes to soil erosion and degradation (Lee). These activities can result in the loss of topsoil, a decline in soil fertility, and a further increase in soil erosion (Pimentel 5). Therefore, if the demand for lab-grown meat increases, it can decrease the need for large-scale animal agriculture, which prevents global deforestation and mitigates soil degradation with a more controlled process.

Likewise, lab-grown livestock production requires much less water than conventional methods. Animal agriculture is a significant consumer of water, from drinking water to cleaning facilities. It is reported that while 64% of the world’s population is expected to live in water-stressed basins by 2025, livestock farming is the main contributor to the increasing water use, accounting for over 8% of global human water use (“Livestock”). Lab-grown meat provides a sustainable solution to water scarcity issues by minimizing water consumption. Compared to traditional meat’s water requirement, where just 1 kg of beef needs 15,415 liters of fresh water to be produced, cultivated meat’s water usage “can be reduced by 82%-96%” (Tuomisto). Thus, adopting lab-grown meat presents a promising opportunity to conserve both land and water resources by reducing livestock’s agricultural land and water use in breeding, paving the way for a more environmentally friendly and efficient food production system.

Last, the development of lab-cultured meat offers a way out of over-reliance on antibiotics that can harm both the environment and humans. It is currently estimated that 73% of all antibiotics are used on farm animals rather than humans, and 30% of them are abused on healthy animals (Tiseo 1). As a result, the overuse of antibiotics makes antibiotic-resistance bacteria difficult to treat sick animals and the environment and causes around 2 million infections and 23,000 deaths each year only in the United States (Dadgostar 1). Additionally, scientists determined severe water pollution caused by antibiotics by measuring the concentration of 61 active pharmaceutical ingredients at more than 1,000 sites along 258 rivers spanning every continent (Wilkinson 1). However, under aseptic conditions and close monitoring, lab-grown meat production does not require any antibiotics throughout the entire culturing process (Chriki 3). In such a simple way of eliminating antibiotic use, lab-grown meat contributes to the conservation of clean natural ecosystems, prevents the contamination of water sources, and slows the spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens among animals. By doing so, this ground-breaking technology not only has significant positive effects on public health but also the earth’s ecosystem.

The development and widespread adoption of lab-grown meat offers a sustainable solution for a greener future. The current price of lab-grown meat is indeed very high, and the production efficiency is not as good as expected. However, this innovative technology has the potential to address several of the most urgent environmental issues derived from conventional livestock production. Cultivating flesh fibers in the laboratory eliminates methane emissions and reduces the energy required for processing. Additionally, it reduces the demand for large-scale animal agriculture, preventing deforestation and soil degradation. Lab-grown meat also mitigates the risks of water shortage and antibiotic resistance. While addressing these crucial global challenges, the further development of various lab-grown meat products demonstrates its possibility to revolutionize the food industry and alleviate the negative environmental effects of livestock husbandry. Therefore, by embracing lab-grown meat as a sustainable alternative, we can pave the way for a more environmentally benign and efficient food production system, ensuring a healthier planet for future generations.