If global warming continues worsening, coffee could become extinct by the year of 2080, according to a Climate Institute report.
Because of the increase in temperatures, pests, and fungi, it’s estimated that 50 percent of the coffee farming land of coffee won’t be suitable for plantation by the year of 2050.
Moreover, coffee types like Arabica may be gone within the next 70 years if the problem if climate change isn’t resolved.
Unfortunately, the reduction in production won’t just impact coffee lovers, but also the lives of 120 million individuals in more than 70 countries that are dependant on the industry.
Coffee Decline Will Continue If Climate Change Worsens
With the reduction of coffee availability, consumers will probably see influence on aroma, prices, and flavor.
The reason for the coffee production decline isn’t just the rise in temperature, but the increase in fungi like coffee leaf rust that are attacking the coffee crops.
Back in 2012, Central America was hit by a fungus that led to a decline of approximately 2.7 million bags and impacted 350,000 jobs and cost $500 million. The fungus is still spreading and it was found in the mountain areas of Columbia where it was previously too cold for it to thrive.
According to Jim Hanna, sustainability director at Starbucks says that 10, 20 or 30 years down the road, if the same conditions continue; their supply chain may be negative affected.
The coffee berry borer is a pest which is mostly present in plantations below 1,500 meters above sea level and it has spread upwards and harmed previously safe plantations.
On Mount Kilimanjaro, the pest is nearly 300 meters higher than it was a century ago. A one or two degree warming may cause this insect’s population to explode and thus, harm agriculture.
What Will Be Happening with the Decline in Coffee?
In the decades to come, there will probably be a major change in how coffee is produced- coffee farmers may need to move away from the equator and go up the mountains where they may clash with landowners or harm forests.
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