COFFEE business are at risk of catastrophe if climate change is not reversed, as coffee could be “endangered” by 2050.
A report by Fairtrade suggests that it is possible up to 50% of the land currently being used for coffee farming worldwide will no longer be suitable by 2050 due to climate change.
Droughts, frost and storms are only becoming more common, so some of this land has already been devastated in recent years, This has led some independent coffee business owners to believe the devastation is coming sooner rather than later.
One such owner is Robi Lambie, founder of one of Scotland’s most successful coffee brands, Cairngorm Coffee Roasters.
He said: “We certainly have witnessed the impact of erratic weather such as the overnight frost in coffee-producing regions in Brazil in 2021 which caused irreparable damage to coffee plants and meant many farmers lost 50% of their crop for the 2022 harvest.
“The result of this was more demand for the remaining harvest, pushing Brazilian coffee to its highest price since 2014.
“There is no doubt that coffee yield is likely to be subject to complications over the next few decades and that is not only a concern for cafe and roastery businesses like us, but also the producers who rely on it for their livelihood.”
The 33-year-old added that connectivity with farmers can really help out in the long run, and is a beneficial, almost symbiotic relationship.
But more still needs to be done to save the livelihood of these farmers.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Synthesis report two weeks ago and it found that by the end of this century, temperatures could rise by around 2.8C.
This would spell disaster for coffee farming communities, among other farms and coastal communities. Founder of Dear Green Coffee Roasters and the pioneer behind the Glasgow Coffee Festival Lisa Lawson said: “It's devastating to witness this impact on coffee communities.
“As consumers, we are so far removed from these realities, only affecting us when it is evident on our purse, which it now is!
“If the reality is losing a product which we all consume daily, then perhaps a shift in habits will happen.
“Millions of families rely on producing coffee for their income yet have little control, as the actions of the West profit more from their crop and contribute more to global warming.
“As residents in an emitting country, we are all accountable – our collective actions negatively impact products we love and the people who we rely on to produce them for us.
“We all have to act now to protect people and nature for the future.”
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