With growing concern over climate change and animal rights, activists and environmentalists alike preach about the negative impacts of eating meat. But scientists are currently growing a burger in a laboratory that might please both of these groups and create a product that seems like something right out of a science fiction movie.

Scientists in the Netherlands are currently working on producing the world’s first lab-grown “test-tube” burger.

Dr. Mark Post, head of physiology at Maastricht University and the man in charge of the project, plans to reveal an edible portion of the lab meat to the public this October.

The burger is currently growing inside a petri dish in a laboratory at the university, and the total project costs more than $300,000, which was funded by an anonymous donor.

The goal of the project is for the burger to decrease greenhouse gas emissions made from the production of meat.

“Meat consumption has huge environmental consequences,” said Andy Suarez, professor of animal biology and entomology. “Not only do we convert natural ecosystems to rangeland to support cattle, raising cattle also requires a large amount of feed — grain, for example — and water.”

According to Suarez, it takes somewhere between 440 and more than 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. This includes the water that the cattle need to drink and the water used to water the grain that is fed to them.

“Our environmental impact could be greatly reduced if we lowered the amount of red meat in our diet,” he said. “This does not even consider the moral issues surrounding the way cattle are raised and treated in an industrial setting.”

Despite possibly helping to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the test-tube burger may not be the best solution to helping our planet.

Courtney Flint, associate professor of natural resources and environmental sciences, said not everyone has the same level of trust in science; therefore, even if the test-tube burger eventually hit grocery stores across the countries, it is uncertain how many people would feel comfortable with it.

“Those who have a high level of trust in science will think this is a cool, high-tech solution to feeding a growing population within environmental constraints,” Flint said. “But not everyone is as comfortable with science when it comes to what they put into their bodies and may see this as ‘Frankenscience’ with worries about possible risks from genetic engineering.”

Because the burger is at such an early stage of development, many of the consequences of producing it in a lab are still unknown.

The amount of environmental damage that goes into producing a lab-grown burger may be just as bad, if not worse, than that of the production of real meat.

“There’s increasing concern about the waste stream coming from biological research labs,” Flint said. “This might be an interesting thing to consider. How much water and plastic waste comes from the labs growing artificial burgers?”

Starza Kolman, a member of the Campus Vegetarian Society, views the lab-grown meat as not just a possible method for improving the environment but as progress for the animal rights movement, as the lab meat can eventually be a substitute for people who refuse to give up eating meat, just like tofu or “fake-meats” are current substitutes.

Although the lab meat would not be an instant success because some people may fear the unknown, Kolman thinks the lab-grown meat can slowly transition into a substitute for some people and eventually turn into something common.

“People are scared of change,” Kolman said. “Many of us eat chemical-laden foods already without caring — many store-bought cookies and breakfast strudels, for instance — but that is because those artificial foods have slowly replaced their more ‘natural’ predecessors.”

Kolman thinks people who would otherwise eat a cow should eat the lab-grown burger.

Not only does she think it would be a great thing to do for the animal rights movement, but it would be movement toward sustainability and would help our society in ways we might not think of right away. For example, helping society become more environmentally conscious and realize the harmful side effects of having a meat-based diet, such as raising the risk for diabetes and obesity.

“We have a finite amount of natural resources in the world, and if we want to keep up our current lifestyle, we need to find other ways to enjoy the meals we currently eat,” Kolman said. “While eating lower on the food chain (by eating vegan, for example) is the best answer to the animal rights issue, environmental sustainability issue, world hunger issue and more, eating lab-grown meat is the next best step. At least for now.”