The climate crisis will reduce the quantity of crops but will also have a negative impact on the quality and taste of coffee
I climate changes could modify the coffee flavoris, one of the most consumed drinks in our country. According to new research, the changes affecting the climate could in fact negatively affect the development of plants, making the taste of coffee more bland and tasteless.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), analyzed the impact of 19 environmental factors out of five variety of coffee special grown in Ethiopia.
In the future, in regions where quality coffee was once successfully grown, the climate may become unsuitable for coffee production reducing the quantity by up to 40% of the harvest by the end of the century, as well as the quality of the harvest.
Average temperatures, rainfall levels, humidity and other parameters influence not only the quantity, but also the organoleptic properties of coffee beans.
A similar situation is occurring in Colombia and in other countries in Central and South America, where less and less coffee will be produced due to global warming (Read also: Thus the climate emergency is changing the production of coffee in Colombia).
This is not a problem that only interests coffee lovers. Producing less coffee or producing coffee with a light flavor would mean putting on your knees the local economy of these regions, which depend on the cultivation of coffee.
“If one or more regions were to lose the ability to grow specialty coffees due to climate change, there would be serious consequences for small farmers. If they were forced to switch to the cultivation of conventional, less palatable and bitter types of coffee, they would suddenly be in competition with industrial production systems that are more efficient. This could prove fatal, ”explained Christoph Gornott, co-author of the study.
The researchers therefore stressed the need for interventions for protect the production of coffee special, aimed at improving cultivation systems and reducing the rise in temperatures, so as to preserve the availability and flavor of one of the most popular beverages in the world.
Reference source: Scientific Reports
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