Synthetic meat is being touted by scientists as a way to save the Earth, but according to a new study, its mass production could harm the environment far more than farming. Currently, synthetic meat is only produced in small laboratories, but scaling up production could cause a 25-fold increase in emissions.
How is meat grown?
Muscle fibers are grown by taking a piece of tissue, no matter what animal the sample belongs to. The stem cells from the sample are then processed so that they mature faster. As a result, these cells form muscle fibers and edible tissue. But after that, endotoxins and waste products have to be removed, which is where most of the emissions come from.
Experts estimate that, with increased production, each kilogram of such food will produce 246-1508 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions.
