Coffee is a highly favored beverage worldwide, with 2.25 billion cups being drank daily. In addition to giving billions of people the energy they need for the workday, it also sustains the lives of more than 120 million individuals across 70 nations. Regretfully, the Climate Institute’s compilation of data indicates that regions suitable for coffee cultivation would probably decrease by 50% by 2050 due to the expected changes in climate in the near future.
A number of issues are already arising for coffee fields as a result of rising temperatures and changed rainfall patterns. Coffee plants need a steady climate with certain temperatures and precipitation in order to develop healthily and maintain their flavor characteristic. This implies that coffee’s flavor and quality may deteriorate over the next several decades. The danger posed by pests like the “coffee berry borer” and diseases like “coffee rust” that affect coffee plants will also increase with warmer weather. At the moment, losses in coffee beans up to hundreds of millions of dollars are caused just by the coffee berry borer. Furthermore, it is estimated that by 2080, wild coffee—a valuable genetic resource for coffee growers—may become extinct.
Smallholders make up the majority of the 25 million coffee growers worldwide, and many of them reside in impoverished, marginalized regions of developing countries. Without assistance, they are less able to adjust to the changing environment, which might have a negative impact on the health and welfare of workers, farmers, and their communities. The repercussions for these folks might be disastrous if more is not done.
For years, major coffee companies have been working on ways to adapt to climate change. Some of these strategies include establishing a gene bank to protect the genetic diversity of coffee plants, providing support to farmers, and compiling a catalog of coffee plants that includes details on pest susceptibility and preferred climate.
The Climate Institute suggests that customers who are concerned research what organizations are doing to address climate change and choose companies that are carbon neutral, pay fair wages, support coffee farmers and their communities, and assist them in strengthening their ability to adapt to changing conditions.
