this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025
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The only real argument against lab-grown meat is that it might not reduce emissions that much. But even if lab-grown meat has an equivalent carbon footprint to farm-grown, there is still a critical difference: we don't have to kill innocent creatures to produce it.
In the 21st century, we can easily maintain a nutritious, balanced diet without consuming anything produced by an animal. For this fact alone, humans should be reorienting our entire food chain away from animal-based products, because most animal products are produced via factory farms that functionally torture animals from birth to slaughter. But eating meat is so embedded in our culture - we like the taste of it, and most people don't have to face the harsh reality of slaughtering innocent creatures to produce it, so for most people it's actually HARDER to go vegan than it is to just go with the flow.
I hate these "debates" about lab-grown meat for this reason, because to me the controversy seems made up. There are literally no downsides, it just solves this "momentum" problem overnight. Even if the emissions are equivalent, it's still a net gain for the planet because we dramatically reduce suffering worldwide.
Lab grown meat may increase emissions:
It shouldn't be produced on mass scale unless we're confident it would decrease emissions.
Meanwhile it's better to promote vegarian or flexitarian diets as less carbon-intensive and more ethical options.