Environmentalists are discussing how artificial meat is actually sustainable

How environmentally friendly is artificial meat? Researchers are looking to see if plant-based burgers have less of an impact on the environment.

(Photo: Photo: LikeMeat/Unsplash)

alternative meat

If you’re a meat-eater who cares about the environment, you’re probably bringing some guilt to the table. The deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and air and water pollution associated with the meat on our plates have a huge negative impact on the environment.This is an unwelcome fact given that the world desperately needs to solve this problem climate change.

cutting edge meat substitute It’s hard to independently verify if carnivores can meet a large portion of our meat demand and they’re as environmentally friendly as they claim.

Some people think this could change everything. Elliot Swartz, a scientist at the Good Food Institute, a global nonprofit that promotes meat alternatives, said: “People have long been educated about the downsides of animal husbandry, but the numbers of vegetarians and vegans remain generally low. “

Also read: Food Ethics: Ethical Eating Does Not Have to Be Vegan

meat industry

(Photo: Usman Yousaf/Unsplash)

There is no doubt that the modern meat business is bad for the environment. About 15% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock. If the cows on earth were a country, their greenhouse gas emissions would be second only to China.

To make matters worse, the United Nations predicts that by 2031, the world’s population will grow and become richer, leading to 15% increase in meat demand. Deforestation affects biodiversity and increases emissions due to the expansion of pastures and agriculture into previously forested lands such as the Amazon.

The impact of using artificial meat substitutes

(Photo: Drew Angler/Getty Images)

Try plant-based meats to enhance poor environmental performance. For example, Stanford University biochemist Pat Brown founded Impossible Foods after considering what actions he could take to have the greatest impact on the environment. His answer is: for meat.

Every step requires energy, which begs the question: Are these meat substitutes really more environmentally friendly than the meat they’re meant to replace after all this processing?

Environmental scientists conduct life cycle studies to provide an answer to this question. This requires tracking every component of the finished product, such as soy protein, coconut oil, heme, etc., and paying attention to the associated environmental costs.

For example, a life cycle analysis of soy protein would consider the fossil fuels, water and land required to grow soybeans, as well as fertilizers, pesticides and fossil fuel emissions from transportation to processing facilities. Energy and water for grinding, defatting, protein extraction and drying will then be included.

All other ingredients and final assembly and packaging steps will be calculated similarly. When you add everything together, you receive an estimate of the product’s overall environmental impact.

related articles: Plant-based meat alternatives will undercut the traditional meat market by 2025

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