These losses of energy are significantly reduced in a cultured meat system. Much of the energy they consume is used in metabolism and cellular respiration. As highlighted in the problems with current meat production, animals are inefficient sources of meat. This method of meat production does not require the existence of an animal and is therefore far more efficient in many respects. Each of these has its own advantages and disadvantages that necessitates the hybridization of all of them to create an effective plan Cultured MeatĬultured meat is consumable meat produced in a non-biological setting, such as a laboratory. These include methane capture, meat reduction policies, and cultured meat. In order to combat the effects of current meat production on biodiversity, there are a few methods that should be considered. This directly causes an increase in the amount of meat produced and, by extension, the harm done by meat production. Also, as a result of increased population and increased affluence, the global meat consumption is rising. In addition, meat consumption in countries classified as middle and high income countries accounts for 92 percent of the total meat consumption (Foley, 2011). This takes into account the externality cost of CO 2 produced and the methane equivalence (cost of green house gasses that is not reflected within market transactions) as well as land degradation (Fiala, 2010). Without taking into account the rising beef consumption, a conservative estimate of the total economic cost per year is 140 billion USD. Beyond the environmental cost of meat production, the economic cost is also a concern. This makes meat production a significant suspect of climate change, which harms biodiversity by changing the dynamic of the habitat through a change in climate. These figures include the CO 2 produced from the running of equipment and the facilities as well as the CH 4 produced from manure decomposition, which is 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide in greenhouse potential (Baumert, 2005). In total, meat production alone accounts for 15 percent to 24 percent of the global greenhouse gasses emitted by humans, which is greater than the global transportation sector. The production of meat also produces a substantial amount of greenhouse gasses. Also, land area devoted to the production of feed for animals is not as capable of harboring and sustaining a high level of biodiversity as a forest or meadow that could occupy the same land (Tuomisto, 2011). Overall, meat production is responsible for 70 percent of global agricultural land, so a majority of the crops grown today are grown specifically for the production of meat (Fiala, 2008). This land area harms biodiversity in the same manner outlined in the “Problems with Agriculture” section of this plan. This compares to 32 percent global forest land area, and 9 percent global urban land area (Seinfeld, 2006). 30 percent of the total land area of the world is used in pasture land and in the production of food for animals on a feedlot system. Meat production as it stands is incredibly taxing on the environment.
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