While climate change is still debated, what is not debatable is the cup of coffee. The contents of a mug drives college students, professionals, and your average joe every morning and late night. Yet, what many coffee connoisseurs may not realize is that climate change is closer to the contents of their morning brew than they realize. Merritt Kennedy’s, “Coffee, Bees and Climate Change Are Linked In Ways You May Not Have Expected” takes our morning ritual and places it into perspective. As global temperatures rise, plants may thrive, but will our pollinators?
Kennedy begins her article addressing the role of pollinators in coffee production. With a fourth of coffee production and yield is dependant on bees the rise of usable land for coffee production rising seems like a phenomenal experience; however, can bees handle the heat? With the projected land growth of eighty-eight percent, these warmer climates are outside of current bees’ tolerance. Despite this, models project that bee species will adapt with roughly sixteen percent of areas seeing more bee diversity. Projected losses impact the farmers of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and a slight increase in growth in Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. While it is hard to estimate exact amounts, scientists predict that thirty-four to fifty-one percent of farmland will be less suitable for growth. Concluding, Kennedy leaves three actions to reduce economic and agricultural loss for farmers: in warmer areas provide shade cover for coffee, transitional crops where coffee is unsuitable to be grown, and maintaining habitats for wild bees.
As time unfolds, I am curious as to what steps the governments will take for their farmers. A majority of these countries’ people depend on the economic empowerment that is a result of coffee growth. Will governments provide stipends or education to start transitional crops? Are farmers aware of the impact of climate change on their crops and what actions they can take? What impacts will the gross domestic product of the countries see as time progresses? Will countries worldwide see an increase in the cost of coffee? Will researchers produce genetically modified coffee crops? Will these crops be priced high and be used to exploit the people growing coffee? I am curious to see the impact on local, federal, and global economies as climate change goes on to impact not only coffee but other crops.
(September 2017)
