On a scale of one to 10, how much do you love your steaming hot cup of coffee? If you ask me, I’d rate it at about 100! A good cup of coffee makes my brain hit all the right notes. It wakes me up in an instant when I’m all grouchy and fighting the Not A Morning Person Syndrome. And most of all, it gives me the much-needed peace of mind to begin dealing with the world. But all that could change soon. Remember the climate change debates? Your love for coffee is now going to be another reason for you to become a climate change activist. Read on to know what I mean.
’60 percent of coffee species threatened with extinction’
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Coffee is among the list of the most fragile crops cultivated across the globe. Such crops, like coffee, need steady weather conditions to be able to flourish. This is why coffee can only be grown in the Coffee Belt, close to the equator. However, the regions around the equator are the most affected by climate change. Cultivation of coffee requires a steady temperature between 64 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Any fluctuations beyond that would, in fact, end up harming the coffee plant. Most of the coffee species we know today exist only in Ethiopia, a country that is already struggling with the impact of climate change.
Could coffee be going the banana way?
Being one of the most elite crops, the plant cannot grow in pest-infected soil. However, one of the effects of climate change is also a rise in pests, insects, and parasites that damage plant growth. A study on coffee species has, thus, concluded that our beloved beverage may soon be extinct. If they had to put a number on it, the scientists predict that it may happen by the year 2050. Just another 30 years! Beyond that, we might be forced to look at substitutes or hybrids that merely resemble the heavenly taste we know today. If you find this thought too preposterous, here’s a not-so-fun fact for you:
The bananas you consume today are actually hybrids. The original bananas were wiped out in the 1950s by a species-destroying rot.
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My heart is sinking at the thought. I might just cry in a pool of coffee… Oh, wait… I can’t do that! We’re running out of coffee… We’re running out of time…
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Related: Iconic Coffee Houses In India That Date Back 50 – 100 Years
