**TLDR - With climate change being the largest threat to the planet and our future, and people unwilling to give up their comforts, synthetic meat is the way forward for both pleasure and the climate** Climate change is a very real threat, and one that is impossible to deny (even if some try). One of the largest contributors to this is the meat and dairy industry, which account for [roughly 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions](https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/what-is-the-climate-impact-of-eating-meat-and-dairy/#:~:text=Meat%20and%20dairy%20specifically%20accounts,will%20be%20necessary%2C%20scientists%20say.). Whilst vegetarianism and veganism are on the rise, with a more environment-conscious society, ditching meat is never entirely is never going to happen. People have cheat days, or only go veggie for January, or fail at the first sight of a burger. It is clear that the lure of meat is too much for many, which suggests that telling people to stop is an impractical solution. The solution is synthetic meat, and the more we invest into its research and production, the more viable it becomes as a true replacement for meat. [Its benefits are many](https://www.theweek.co.uk/96156/the-pros-and-cons-of-lab-grown-meat); it uses far less land, no animals are harmed or exploited, and it is far more sustainable than an industry that is already doing irreparable damage to the planet. The cons of synthetic meat are similar to many new technologies, in that the lack of interest and adoption means prices are high and public trust in the products are low (the idea of lab grown meat puts many off). I believe the more we invest into synthetic meat, the sooner we have an opportunity to reduce, and maybe one day completely remove our reliance on the meat industry.

Despite wholeheartedly agreeing that a plant-based diet is the most important initial step in reducing our carbon footprints and thus, the effects of climate change, I can’t help but think that it unnecessary to invest too much money into the synthetic meat industry when many are simply against giving up meat. The concept of supply and demand is significant here - if there is not the growing market for synthetic meat products, then what’s the point in producing the product to begin with and would money not be better off being put towards reducing the energy consumption of the meat industry? This is especially important to consider when taking into consideration the fact that the [European Environment Agency] (file:///C:/Users/georg/Downloads/Briefing-14-Artificial-meat-and-the-environment.pdf) predict that, despite the recent emergence of vegan and environmental movements such as Extinction Rebellion, the consumption of animal based food consumption is expected to increase in the coming decades. With reference to expected population growth, the global demand for both meat and dairy products is expected to grow by [73% and 58% respectively between 2010 and 2050] (http://www.fao.org/3/i2373e/i2373e.pd), so would it not be more economically sustainable to develop a more environmentally friendly and less energy intensive meat industry?

**Tl;dr: Meat (especially red and processed) is incredibly damaging to our health and yet is widely promoted in supermarkets and advertisements. Investing in synthetic meat would provide a healthy alternative to the widely consumed real thing.** Red meat (pork, beef, etc) is classed as a [level 2A carcinogen](https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/1in3cancers/lifestyle-choices-and-cancer/red-meat-processed-meat-and-cancer/#:~:text=Red%20meat%2C%20such%20as%20beef,means%20it%20probably%20causes%20cancer.) known to probably cause cancer in humans. By increasing funds towards synthetic meat production, we could reverse how normalised consumption of this damaging meat has become and preserve the health of many people. Synthetic meat provides a healthy alternative to meats which have been proven to cause diabetes. [Consuming red meat is associated with a significant increase of developing diabetes](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170905134506.htm#:~:text=Higher%20intake%20of%20red%20meat,these%20meats%2C%20new%20research%20shows). In turn, it is sensible to increase the production and funding of synthetic meat as it would improve the health of millions who intake real meat on a daily basis.

**TL;DR – It's not that we have to invest more into synthetic meat, but we have to prioritize synthetic meat over regular meat which would involve an emotional and monetary investment.** Synthetic meat is as good as regular meat already. That is coming from a 7 year vegetarian and 3 year vegan tongue, but if we're being honest, what is better about regular meat that you can't get used to with synthetic meat? The emotional investment lies here. I don't particularly enjoy the Impossible Burger, but the Beyond Meat burger is so delicious. They are a growing company, coming out with multiple forms of their meat, but all you really need are the burgers. You can easily chop them up for ground beef or marinate and grill them to make them even more delectable. Committing to using synthetic meat can be easily done. Where the true investment lies is in the marketing of synthetic vs. regular meat. Synthetic meat will need that little push to get people to buy it more often. It should be moved to where regular meat is in stores rather than tucked away in freezers as if it's alien food. It's less of an investment and more of a mindset change. Prioritizing synthetic meat over regular meat should be normalized for the sake of climate change, health, and animals. It's here; we just have to bite it. My casual perspective on this is a bit more abolitionist than reformist, if you will. I simply think it's possible to remove the bulk of regular meat from stores. Are people really that attached to it?