More DW Blogs DW.COM

The GLOBAL IDEAS Blog

Thinking for a cooler world

sumisom | Ideas

Cup o’ Joe

We already told you about how the world’s chocolate supply is suffering from the effects of climate change, but coffee is also under threat. At the end of last year, the coffee giant Starbucks called attention to the fact that coffee bean farmers are struggling to cope with severe weather, changing rain patterns and new pests that affect the coffee plants. And those problems are a ”significant risk” to Starbucks’ coffee supply, according to the company’s CEO. Researchers estimate that coffee sellers increased the price of the beloved bean by about 25 percent in 2010 alone.

So what can be done? There’ve been many suggestions, but there’s an interesting project called ”Coffee & Climate” that caught our attention. It’s trying to find constructive and effective way to deal with climate change and its effects on coffee supplies. The organization does that by going right to the people who are faced with those issues: the coffee farmers themselves. Coffee & Climate provides training and support for farmers, sharing their expertise and practical tools so the farmers are well-equipped for whatever challenges climate change might present!

Date

February 9, 2012

Share