Coffee Prices At 47-Year High, Thanks To Simultaneous, Crippling Droughts In Brazil & Vietnam
Your morning caffeine fix could soon become a luxury in the face of climate change. Last week, coffee prices surged to a 47-year high as global growers struggle to recover from extreme weather. Over the past year, extended droughts have gripped Brazil and Vietnam—the world’s two largest producers of coffee. Scientists say the parched conditions were fueled by the El Niño weather pattern and global warming, which have triggered widespread coffee crop losses that could also affect next year’s supply.
Research shows that these conditions are a harbinger of our coffee future. By 2050, rising temperatures are projected to shrink suitable coffee-growing regions by half, which could eliminate a crucial revenue source for farmers in developing countries.
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As I wrote in November, droughts go hand in hand with wildfires. Over the past year, Brazil has seen some of its worst wildfires in decades, largely caused by a farming technique known as “slash-and-burn,” which is when farmers cut and scorch trees to clear land for more crops. Ironically, the fires started by this practice, as well as dry soil from the droughts, have devastated sugarcane, fruit and especially coffee crop yields across the country. Coffee growers in Vietnam have also been hit hard by droughts, and some are recovering from Typhoon Yagi, which hit the country in September. In Brazil, steady rain showers finally fell in October, which led to ample flowering of coffee crops, but farmers fear it may be too late for their trees to recover and bear fruit, Reuters reports. Many small-scale coffee farms in both countries are struggling to stay afloat.
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Coffee arabica—the species most commonly used in consumer roasts—is particularly vulnerable to climate shocks. The plants thrive in the shady, moist environments found in tropical countries, typically growing best between 64 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. But a 2022 study found that climate change will fuel higher temperatures that push key coffee-growing regions such as parts of Eastern Brazil and Southeast Asia out of coffee’s climatic sweet spot. The researchers identified a few areas in East Africa, Asia and South America that could benefit from changing conditions, but stressed that many of them do not yet have the infrastructure or space to support widespread coffee growth without adding to deforestation.
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https://insideclimatenews.org/news/03122024/todays-climate-droughts-coffee-prices/