Scientific Studies Predict Coffee Could Go Extinct By 2080
Worldwide, 25 million coffee farmers make it possible for 2.25 billion cups of coffee to be consumed each day.
According to Business Insider, the coffee industry brings in $19 billion dollars a year, employing about 120 million people in more than 70 countries.
More than 25 million farmers help grow the world's coffee.
Rising temperatures and altering rainfall patterns brought on by climate change will apply enormous stress to this industry. As Humanosphere reports, unless emissions are drastically reduced, climate change is projected to cut the global area suitable for coffee production by as much as 50 percent by 2050.
According to climate change could render coffee extinct by 2080.
The coffee industry employs about 120 million people in more than 70 countries.
"No matter how much money the industry pumps into research, or how many boots companies put on the ground for retraining, the future of coffee remains at the mercy of a global population that continues to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere," Time reports. "Average temperatures are expected to rise by more than 5.5°F by 2100 even if countries follow through on their commitments to reduce global warming, according to data from the U.N. Environmental Programme. That’s far short of the U.N. goal of keeping temperature rise below 3.6°F."
This means that 25 million coffee farmers, working in the equatorial environments where coffee can grow, could no longer support their families. As World War Zero maintains, those reliant on coffee could become displaced, out of work, and seeking refuge.
Without innovation, coffee won't survive.
If we can't drastically slow climate change, the best way to combat this issue is to better fund the research of agricultural innovation.
Without innovation, coffee won't survive—it won't be able to grow on mountain sides; it won't be able to withstand vicious pests that thrive off of the rising temperatures. According to The Guardian, without innovation, 120 million people could lose their livelihoods.
Help protect coffee from climate change!
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.
With the support of the IFAD, we may be able to save coffee from the impact of climate change.
Click below and ask IFAD to reallocate funds so that agricultural innovation gives coffee and its farmers a fighting chance against climate change.
Matthew Russell is a West Michigan native and with a background in journalism, data analysis, cartography and design thinking. He likes to learn new things and solve old problems whenever possible, and enjoys bicycling, spending time with his daughters, and coffee.