While lab-grown meat does eliminate the need for land, water, and antibiotics used in traditional farming, researchers have discovered that the excitement around cultured meat is based on flawed analyses of carbon emissions.
If the current methods used to produce lab-grown meat were scaled up, they could generate between four and 25 times more CO2 than raising and slaughtering animals.
The increased CO2 levels are linked to the fossil fuels required during the purification processes that provide nutrients to the cultured cells. To create lab-grown meat, it’s crucial to remove endotoxins, toxins released by bacteria in the environment. Even a small amount of these toxins in the growth medium can hinder cell reproduction.
The researchers suggest creating cell lines that can tolerate higher levels of endotoxins. This would reduce the need for energy-intensive purification processes and ultimately lessen the environmental impact of lab-grown meat.