Cultivated Cuisine: Is Lab-Grown the Future?

Twenty-five percent of the world’s carbon emissions come from the food industry. Could lab-grown meat be a climate-friendly alternative?

• In 2020, Singapore was the first country to legalize the sale of cultured meat. More recently, reports of lab-grown ‘lion meat’ being served in the UK’s fine dining industry have been circulating.
• The global food industry contributes to 25% of the CO2 emissions we produce. As we are all well aware, rising carbon levels play a significant role in climate change and global warming.
• More specifically, the global livestock industry contributes to 14.5% of our global CO2 emissions. Many argue that cultivated meat could be a solution to lowering carbon levels worldwide.
• The meat industry plays a huge role in deforestation, which is linked to rising CO2 emissions - as there are fewer trees to take in the carbon. The lab-meat industry could also limit deforestation.
• Yet, the process of growing meat in a lab also has downsides. High levels of energy are often necessary for the process. The growth of such cells requires a consistently warm environment for example.
• Unless the lab-meat industry can decarbonize its energy supply and rely solely on renewable energy, it is argued that any benefits would be significantly undermined.