For the first time, the USDA has approved lab-grown chicken meat. This could make a significant impact if it leads to shifts in the American diet, as the average consumer is expected to eat 100 pounds of chicken in 2023, about twice the expected amount of beef and pork.
Dr. Gaurab Basu, director at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Under the Radar that lab-cultivated meat's big promise is that it's better for the environment. He said reigning in agricultural emissions, which currently make up 24% of all global emissions, is key to fighting climate change.
"Whether it's this one with chicken or, the Impossible beef-based [burger] ... we are going to need to just fundamentally transform the way we eat, not only for our personal health, but also because we are changing the Earth's composition by the way we're using the land," he said.
As a former vegetarian, Sam Payne, a communications specialist for Better Future Project, is excited about the prospect of lab-grown meat.
"We need to get meat eaters to switch over to cultured meat. Vegetarians are already having a significantly lower carbon footprint," Payne said. "So, I think if they can replicate the way that a steak breaks apart in your mouth, I think that this is a multibillion dollar idea, and I'm excited to see where it goes."
But Payne said we're a long way off from lab-grown meat overtaking sales of real meat. Two companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat, are the first to get the go-ahead from the federal government. Still, it may not be available in grocery stores for some time. Upside has reported it be able to produce about 50,000 pounds of meat per year — enough to fully replace chicken in the diets of only 5,000 average Americans.
Also, the ocean surrounding swaths of Europe is hotter than it's been since the mid-1800s. The warmer temperatures increase the moisture in the air, and fuel bigger and stronger hurricanes.
"Of the global warming that we can attribute to human beings, our oceans hold about 90% of that warming, so our oceans have been protecting us dramatically from greater impacts of climate change," said Dr. Basu. "The answer is to urgently get off of fossil fuels, but it's concerning, and our oceans' health is critical to human health."
And in Montana, 16 young people filed a lawsuit claiming the state violated their right to a clean and healthful environment. The final ruling in this first-of-its-kind climate lawsuit is expected within weeks.
"I sometimes get pessimistic when I see so much effort by young people and not a lot of movement on the legal end. I will say this Montana case made me feel hopeful," said Beth Daley, editor of The Conversation, U.S. "I'm very curious to see how the judge rules. And I think it will also embolden — if they are successful — embolden many other lawsuits just like this across the country. So, hopefully it's a win for the climate."
Those stories and more on our Environmental News Roundtable.
GUESTS
Dr. Gaurab Basu, director of education and policy at the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Beth Daley, editor and general manager of The Conversation, U.S.
Sam Payne, digital development manager and communications specialist of Better Future Project, a Massachusetts-based grassroots climate action organization
