Field of Science

Getting Serious - Climate change threatens Coffee!

High end shade-grown coffee production in Columbia is threatened by climate change: higher temperatures and uneven rainfall. Last year's coffee production by growers like Luis Garzon was down by 25% from their high production in 2006, but in fact growers had planned to increase their production by 40%. Coffee is a very finicky crop; it doesn't like the temperature to be hot or cold, and it likes regular rain fall. And this is the exact problem that people have yet to grasp; climate change will affect you! It will change what and where certain crops can be grown. Now you can raise fuel prices to over $5/gallon and it won't matter a bit to the Phactor, and we'll be paying what the rest of the world pays. For many people suddenly your commuting life-style, pitiful as it is, and size of your vehicles will matter. Too bad. It was time for a reality check, and you were living in a dream world. But now we're talking coffee, and that's serious, very serious. Hell, it's bloody addictive! If the elected bozos don't get off their bums and do something meaningful about climate change, a mighty army of very irritable people will be hunting them down. Understand? Coffee! This is serious!

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