a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by charliehilton
charliehilton  ·  4119 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Is An Empty Ocean By 2048 Really What We Want?

You speak the truth and you're pretty much dead on.

It is the absolutely frustrating trade off: the opportunity cost of consumption vs. underpinning economies across the world (small or large - sustainable or not)

If we petition for less fish consumption, prices raise and we cripple fish farmers that do fish sustainably and provide local economies with a source of life.

The ideal situation is to treat fish (in areas where it is very easily consumed at reasonable prices - e.g. Europe) as a luxury. Where the prices are high and the supply can be lower. But does this mean we eat more meat as a replacement? We all know that isn't a sustainable industry at all.

Oh, the dilemma.





theadvancedapes  ·  4119 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Or we can just grow some tasty fish meat in labs. Just may have to wait a decade or two.

insomniasexx  ·  4119 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Do you think when this becomes more commonplace that we will see a movement / fad / trend like we current see with organic fruits and veggies vs genetically modified? Do you think that there will be backlash like we currently see against monsonto? Are are they different issues?

theadvancedapes  ·  4119 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Well, this technology (like any emergent technology) will produce a number of ethical and socio-political solutions AND problems. To my mind, I feel like it will (eventually) solve the problem of factory farming and the moral dilemmas associated with wanting to eat meat but not wanting animals to die/suffer.

Could this technology also be controlled by companies with unethical practices? Could there be dramatic inequalities with the people who have access to this food? Will there be people who have a violent negative reaction to meat grown in labs?

I think the answer to all of the above is yes. However, it is hard to know the qualitative nature of these problems at the moment.

ronintetsuro  ·  4119 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The world's first lab burger was had in London recently. I'm under the impression that there will be biological complications and consequences from eating too many chemical proteins and not enough naturally fatty ones.

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/08/05/first-lab-burger