Coffee and chocolate will disappear due to global warming
That's the message from Starubuck's "Director of Sustainability."
Talk about a make-work corporate job!
At any rate, the point is, unless we get serious about dealing with global warming, there won't be any coffee in 10 - 20 - 30 years (the date is a little hazy).
"Coffee likes a pretty narrow range of temperatures, and one of the hallmarks, really, of climate change will be increased extremes in temperatures," Todd Sanford, a climate scientist from the Union of Concerned Scientists, said.
Scientists say climate change will cause heavier rains, longer periods of drought, and higher rates of insect infestation in the tropical areas where coffee is grown -- factors that could have a devastating effect on future coffee production.
"Those of us who enjoy our morning cup of coffee, we may not always realize that future climate change due to extreme temperatures, increased precipitation, really could in some ways put that at risk," Sanford added.
Increased carbon emissions have been linked to global climate change. So for coffee lovers, the idea of waking up without their morning brew could be a wake-up call to lead a more eco-friendly life.
This is the second time in less than a month that scientists have warned that climate change threatens a favorite food item. A few weeks ago, we were told it will be too hot by the year 2050 to grow cocoa beans in much of the Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world's main cocoa-producing countries.
Yes, coffee today has a very narrow growing range. But the concerned scientist from the Union of Concerned Scientists fails to take into account that even if global warming occurs, where some coffee growing countries will suffer, it is very likely that others will be created. Perhaps a little farther north, but the idea that the temperature and moisture necessary to grow coffee will not exist anywhere on earth is absurd. Besides, genetically engineering beans to grow in a different climate is well within our reach and certainly will be a reality in 30 years.
The really scary thought is no chocolate. No chocolate Santas? Or Easter Bunnies? And what about chocolate cake, cupcakes, brownies, and good old fashioned fudge?
Save the planet. Save the cocoa bean! Drive an electrtic car.