Global potential of cultured meat to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use

Livestock production contributes 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 27% of the global water footprint and 33% of the global land use. The creation of agricultural land for animal feed production is one of the main drivers of deforestation and degradation of wildlife habitats. In addition, the consumption of meat and other livestock products has been projected to double between 2000 and 2050, putting further strain on environmental capacities and food security. As only small improvements in the environmental impact of livestock production can be achieved through animal husbandry, tissue engineers have started developing in vitro technologies for producing edible meat. Their aim is to culture animal muscle tissue in a laboratory, thereby bypassing the environmental inefficiencies associated with breeding, raising and transporting whole live animals. Currently, cultured meat technology is in a research stage, with the first commercial products predicted to be available within a decade. The aim of this paper is to estimate the capacity of cultured meat to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water use and land use globally and specifically in the United States, the EU-27 and China.JRC.H.4-Monitoring Agricultural Resource