“Coffee is the canary in the coal mine for climate change,” says Ric Rhinehart of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. “If you can’t think about the long term risk for planetary impacts, think about the short term risk for your coffee. Know that a day without coffee is potentially around the corner.”
Did you catch that? A day without coffee! See, a fungus that’s been linked to rising temperatures has been affecting the growth of coffee beans in tropical countries. As global warming continues to, you know, warm the globe, coffee production may have to further north–not good for countries like Nicaragua, where the economy is heavily reliant on the crop.
Of course, as temperatures get even warmer, the Northern Hemisphere may eventually become inhospitable as well, leaving us all drinking green tea. So let’s figure this out, shall we?
(Photo: Stirling Noyes/Flickr)
