Coffee And Climate Change: In Brazil, A Disaster Is Brewing
A new report from Australia’s Climate Institute says coffee production worldwide is in danger because of climate change. It cites a study that says “hotter weather and changes in rainfall patterns are projected to cut the area suitable for coffee in half by 2050.”
.. “Coffee depends on a lot of water,” says Perseu Perdoná, an agronomist with the local coffee cooperative. And coffee plants are already sensitive to temperature. “Climate change is happening,” he tells me, “we can see it. Add to that deforestation, which means the ground can’t retain water when it rains.”
He fears that in the near future, unless something drastically changes, coffee will disappear from this region.
.. “The rivers have run dry,” he says. “Even in the city, we have water rationing — one day we have water, one day we don’t. We never expected this.”