Chocolate and coffee will soon be extinct

CAIRO - 23 February 2018: Climate change, air and water pollution, as well as many other factors have led to depletions in many natural resources and agricultural crops. The accumulated pollution is one of the main reasons for climate change, and since nature does not negotiate when it comes to polluting its resources, many foods favored by generations will soon be eradicated.

Chocolate:

A post shared by SuKarma Ayurveda (@functionalhealth_ayurveda) on Feb 19, 2018 at 1:48pm PST

As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states, cacao can only grow if a stringent set of requirements is met. Cocoa can only grow within around 20 degrees north and south of the equator, the humidity needs to be high and the soil has to be rich; otherwise, the cocoa withers.

A study by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) suggests that farmers will begin to experience an immense decrease in cocoa production by 2030, as most cocoa farms are falling within a volatile temperature region. The constant and unexpected change in temperature will lead to plants’ death.

A new disease has also been spreading and damaging the cocoa harvests in West Africa, which produces 70 percent of the total cocoa production. In addition, the area is facing severe drought.

Thus, it is estimated that by 2050 there will be no more chocolate.

Coffee:

A post shared by Анна (@anna_inst5) on Feb 19, 2018 at 1:54pm PST

Caffeine, the world’s most popular psychoactive drug, is expected to go extinct. As the temperatures continue to rise, the quality and quantity of coffee beans produced will gradually decrease. It is expected that by 2080 there will be no more coffee beans available for consumption. Latin America, home to some of the best coffee producing countries in the world, is also expected to have an 88 percent decline in its coffee-growth-suitable fields by 2015.

A 2017 study, published in proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrates that climate change threatens areas where coffee crops grow and also threatens bees, which are responsible for about 25 percent of coffee bean production.

Climate change has led to rising temperatures and volatile weather, which is set to repel bees with lower heat tolerance from pollinating coffee crops. The issue lies in the importance of bees pollinating coffee beans, as them doing so not only widens the yield of the crops but also increases their quality.