Global warming is having a serious effect on coffee According to a report by The Climate Institute. If global warming continues the way it is, by 2050 the amount of coffee farmland is expected to have halved because of rising temperatures, pests and fungi.
According to the the Independent, coffee production is set to move away from the equator and up mountains, which will cause deforestation. Climate change is also bringing the spread of fungi that destroys the coffee plant. The spread of the fungi, known as ‘coffee leaf rust,’ can dramatically change the flavor and aroma of the coffee.
Yes, you heard correctly – coffee might become extinct. Get off your chair and go to Pret immediately as by 2080, there might not be any coffee left. You have approximately 64 years to get your coffee addiction sorted by then.
The Sustainability Director for Starbucks spoke to The Telegraph, stating: 'if conditions continue as they are there’s potentially signifiant risk to our supply chain. If we sit by and wait until the impacts of climate change are so severe that is impacting our supply chain then that puts us a greater risk.’ While the lure of shorter waits in coffee-chains sounds appealing, the thought of significant coffee shortages doesn't make for great Monday news.
And it’s not just bad for coffee addicts, the disappearing coffee plant will massively impact on 120 million people worldwide whose entire lives depend on the coffee bean. The bean alone makes up a third of Ethiopia’s exports, and 17 per cent of Nicaragua’s.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.