Podcast transcript, Dec. 18, 2020
Alastair – Hello and welcome to WoW!, the positive podcast! Showing kids that there’s a lot more to the world news than bad news.
I’m Alastair. As a journalist, I’ve often written about things going wrong. But people also need to know too about what’s going right.
This week, Clarisse and I are making Christmas dinner plans – and looking for ways to be kind to the planet as well our tastebuds. Interested? Then listen on…
MUSIC
Alastair – Hello Clarisse! It’s nearly the holidays – are you getting ready for Christmas?
Clarisse – Hello Alastair! Yes, I am. I’m looking forward to spending time with my family – and enjoying some good food!
A – Ha, yes, me too, Clarisse. I love sitting around a table at this time of year. Although Christmas food can feel very heavy – especially after too much turkey!
C – I know what you mean! I really prefer not to eat meat. More and more people are finding you can enjoy Christmas without eating animals! But you still plan to eat turkey, Alastair?
A – Well, Clarisse. I do like the traditional Christmas dinner. But you know, I was reading about how we could be eating real meat – without killing birds or animals. It’s pretty amazing – though this year we would have to go to Singapore for it!
C – Singapore?
A – Yes, right around the world, in Asia, In Singapore…
C – And you can eat meat there without killing animals? But how is that possible?
A – Well, this month, Singapore became the first country in the world to let people sell meat that doesn’t come from a farm or from killing anything. It comes from a laboratory.
C – A laboratory? You mean, it’s made by scientists? In a test tube?
A – Yes basically they take just a few cells from a chicken – just a little snip it would barely notice and then they can grow it, almost like a potato or something, into meat which they can turn into chicken nuggets.
C – Hm. I’m not sure about that… Does it taste like chicken?
A – Well I’m not planning to go to Singapore any time soon – and that’s the only place where you can buy it for now. It’s also pretty expensive. Other countries are looking at all these experiments to see if it’s really safe to eat. But from what we hear, yes, it really does taste like the birds people will be eating at Christmas.
C – Hm. Well, I think it’s good that people are looking for ways to eat less meat. For myself, I think I’d rather eat more vegetables…
A – … Yes, people aren’t rushing to buy ‘test-tube turkey’. But…
C – …yes, but, Alastair, we NEED to find ways to eat less meat.
A – Exactly, Clarisse, for the sake of the planet. Because actually more and more people are eating more and more meat.
C – Hm I know, Alastair. And it’s doing more and more damage to the Earth. For a start, it creates lots of greenhouse gas.
A – Yes, Clarisse, we’ve talked in WoW! before about all those cows and other animals burping and farting on farms around the world.
C – Euh, Do we really have to talk about that?
A – Well, it’s actually really serious. All that gas the animals give off, especially methane, is really adding to global warming. And then there’s the water and land we use to feed the animals.
C – Ah yes, so we have to grow more plants to feed the animals we eat…
A – Exactly, and we’re cutting down trees and what not to grow plants to feed to those chickens and cows and pigs and so on. Do you know how much water it takes to make one kilogram of beef?
C – Er, well, if a litre of water weighs a kilogram, maybe you need a hundred litres for one kilogram? That sounds a lot, but I’m guessing it is a lot…
A – It is a lot, Clarisse. A lot more than that. It takes 15 hundred litres of water to produce one kilogram of beef. That’s about 10 bathfuls of water. Just for about 4 hamburgers.
C – Hm. So our appetite for meat is really hard for planet Earth…
A – I’d say so Clarisse. Plus it’s not great for our own health to eat so much of it.
C – I agree! It’s great to hear, though, that people are looking at all sorts of ways to help people eat less meat.
A – Absolutely, Clarisse. What I like about this story is that it shows that when we’ve got a really big problem we find not just one solution but thousands. In this case, lab-grown meat, is just one.
C – OK, Alastair! That’s a really good way for us to end this year. It’s time I went out to do some Christmas shopping!
A – Ah, yes, I should be doing the same, Clarisse. Do you know that this is our 45th podcast of 2020?
C – Wow. Forty five! So many solutions!
A – Yup, it’s time for us to take a break. See you in 2021!
C – See you!
And if you’ve enjoyed this podcast, maybe you can send it to someone you know – just send them the link. And as I was saying, hop over to our site, wow dash news dot eu for some pictures of lab-grown chicken nuggets. That’s all from me for this week, I’m Alastair, and I’ll be back with Clarisse for more from WoW! News next … year. Until then, happy – and positive – holidays!
