World’s Coffee Supply Threatened by Climate Change, Report Says

A new report says that climate change could significantly reduce the amount of suitable land on which to grow coffee and lead to an increase in outbreaks of diseases that threaten the crop.  The report — released by the Australian non-profit, the Climate Institute — warns that under current emissions scenarios, coffee-growing regions could see a 50 percent drop in the acreage fit to raise coffee plants, which need a precise combination of temperature and precipitation to thrive.  Rising temperatures are also likely to lead to an increase in diseases like coffee rust and pests like the coffee berry borer, the report said. Major coffee-producing countries in the “bean belt” — including Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Vietnam — have already become less hospitable because of shifts in weather patterns, the report said.  “It’s a severe threat,” said an executive at U.S.-based Peet’s Coffee.

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