Lab-grown meat a potential climate killer, U.S. researchers warn
Meat produced from cells grown in a lab could be 25 times worse for the climate than the process used to produce regular beef, unless scientists find a way to alter energy-intensive production steps, according to an analysis by U.S. researchers.
Laboratory production of meat has been proposed as a gentler and greener alternative to conventional meat because it requires fewer resources, such as land, feed, water, and antibiotics, than raising animals. The new approach also eliminates the need to raise and slaughter livestock, a major source of greenhouse gases.
However, researchers at the University of California have found that the process of raising meat in the lab has a 25 times greater impact on global warming than traditional beef production.
The meat is produced by placing animal cells in a nutrient-rich broth. However, the production of the broth uses up a great deal of energy.
The broth itself must contain salts, sugars, amino acids, and vitamins, and the production of each of these elements involves an expenditure of energy.
Telewizja Polska
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