Coffee Shortage Predicted Due to Climate Change; Starbucks, Agriculture Industry Worried

Coffee lovers have another reason to help conserve the environment. Experts predict that the climate change will also affect coffee production and in turn, will result to lower yield and even scarcity in supply of coffee beans.

Eater Magazine said that a study by MIT found out that coffee production is under threat.  According to the study, if the warming of the Earth continues at this rate, 80 percent of the Arabica-coffee producing areas in Brazil and Central America will be "unsuitable to the crop by 2050, according to research by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture."

SF Gate added that the supply will be cut to 50% resulting to higher price and lower production. The agriculture industry will also suffer including the coffee farmers. Your supply of coffee as you know it is definitely at risk," said Bambi Semroc of the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business at Conservation International.

According to MIT Technology Review, the most company most worried about the decline in coffee production due to climate change is Starbucks. They are known to be the largest coffee seller n the world.

This is why one of the companies most worried about climate change is Starbucks, which is the largest seller of coffee worldwide. Starbucks has responded both by working with farmers to improve their ability to grow coffee in a warming climate and by trying to reduce the company's own environmental impact. The farming efforts are progressing but are far from a broad fix. The attempts to reduce Starbucks's overall greenhouse gas emissions have run into even more trouble.

Not only did they invest in studies on coffee farming and cultivation, they have a network of farmers around the globe who grow and produce their high-standard coffee beans.

MIT quoted Starbucks saying "Today 99 percent of its coffee, more than 400 million pounds each year, complies" with their own standard of coffee production.

The coffee chain is also well aware of the threat brought about by climate change. They have also invested in studies to help their farmers grow coffee in warmer conditions. They also initiated efforts to lower the environmental impact from their company.

But the efforts of one company alone isn't enough to fix the problem. MIT added that the known coffee producers like Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil and Tanzania have already "begun to shrink coffee farmer's yields."

Scientist agree on one thing, coffee is not the only crop affected by climate change, and if the warming of the planet won't stop, more crops will stop growing and might eventually lead to starvation.