How does climate change affect coffee?
More and more voices are ringing the alarm bells for climate change and global warming. Can these changes affect our favorite beverage?
By 'climate change' we mean the global climate change that comes from human activities, in particular gas emissions. Climate change is first perceived as rising average global temperatures, with severe and extreme weather events such as fires, devastating storms and periods of drought.
Almost all of us who love coffee tend to forget that it is a natural product, which even requires special cultivation conditions and a very laborious, tedious work in order to reach our cup. Naturally, coffee cultivation requires specific climatic conditions, such as humidity, rainfall and temperature, in order to be efficient while the plant has to deal with a wide range of risks, such as insects, diseases and fungi, which threaten not only yield. his, but also his very existence.
Against this backdrop, it is clear that the ill-fated forecasts of climate change experts will, in many ways, affect coffee cultivation. The first effect will be an increase in the price of coffee due to the decline in world production, and due to new conditions, the quality, aroma and taste of coffee may start to fall sharply in relation to previous years. What pessimistic scientists are about to talk about the complete extinction of Arabica coffee by 2080, unless there are measures to halt climate change.
How does climate change affect coffee?
Coffee is grown in tropical climates, which are particularly affected by climate change
Coffee can be grown on three different continents, namely in Africa, Asia and South America, but all the lands in which it thrives have something in common: they are located between the tropical Cancer and Capricorn, in an area called "coffee belt". Tropical soils are particularly vulnerable to environmental disasters and climatic conditions and will be the first to strongly experience the effects of climate change - this will of course affect coffee cultivation in particular.
Coffee requires a certain temperature to grow and fruit
The coffee tree is a highly sensitive plant, which requires a specific temperature range to grow and produce its fruits, from which the coffee beans are then extracted. Ideally, coffee grows at 18 to 21 degrees Celsius, and does not withstand particular fluctuations. Climate change will bring about an increase in global temperature, and thus an increase in the temperature in the coffee growing area, which would have a negative impact on its cultivation.
Coffee requires a high level of rainfall
Coffee trees are needed to develop high altitude, steady temperature and a high level of rainfall. One of the first effects of climate change will be to reduce rainfall and increase drought periods. Under these conditions, initially the crop of coffee will decrease in quantity and begin to lag behind in quality. But if this situation becomes irreversible, the results can be even worse, leading to the disappearance of the coffee trees.
Climate change favors pests of coffee trees
The coffee tree is particularly susceptible to fungi, plant diseases and insects. In particular, Arabica coffee, which accounts for almost 65-70% of world coffee production, is particularly sensitive to these factors. Increasing the temperature and reducing the rainfall further weaken the plant's defenses, while at the same time strengthening insects and diseases. If such a scenario sounds trivial, it is enough to consider that at the end of the 19th century an fungus epidemic , the infamous "coffee rust", destroyed coffee production from all over the country and nearly completely eliminated Arabica coffee.
Forecasts are, of course, extremely worrying - it is understood that climate change is a process that affects human life and its quality as a whole, touching on even the simplest, everyday things, such as coffee. It's up to us to stop it - before it's too late.
