Will coffee go extinct in your lifetime?

Starbucks and Lavazza publicly acknowledge the risks posed by climate change to coffee

Coffee may be extinct by 2080 if climate change continues to intensify, according to a report by The Climate Institute.

The report cites strong evidence that rising temperatures and changed rainfall patterns are already affecting coffee yields, quality, pests, and diseases. According to the report, climate change is predicted to cut the global area suitable for coffee production by as much as 50 per cent by 2050. Further,  the report predicted that wild coffee, such as Arabica could become nonexistent within the next 70 years.



The decline in coffee production will affect not only coffee drinkers worldwide but also the livelihood of 120 million people in more than 70 countries. Moreover, consumers are likely to face supply shortages.

Consumers are also likely to see impact on flavour, aroma and prices, as coffee becomes scarcer. Global coffee companies such as Starbucks and Lavazza publicly acknowledge the risks posed by climate change to the world’s coffee supply.

"We have a cloud hovering over our head. It’s dramatically serious. Climate change can have a significant adverse effect in the short term. It’s no longer about the future; it’s the present," Lavazza Green Coffee & Corporate Relations Partner Mario Cerutti said.



Starbucks Environmental Affairs Director Jim Hanna also addressed the matter.  “If we sit by and wait until the impacts of climate change are so severe that is impacting our supply chain then that puts us at a greater risk," he said.

The report suggests consumers can help by choosing coffee brands that are carbon neutral and guarantee a fair return to small farmers and their communities, which will help them build capacity to adapt to climate change.