The global coffee industry is facing a growing threat as key coffee-producing regions bear the brunt of prolonged periods of heat due to climate change, leading to potential negative impacts on harvests and prices, a study revealed on Wednesday.
Research conducted by Climate Central disclosed that over a five-year period from 2021 to 2025, 25 countries pivotal in global coffee production encountered an average of 47 extra days annually characterized by detrimental heat conditions.
Leading coffee producers such as Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Indonesia, responsible for supplying three-quarters of the world’s coffee, saw an average of 57 additional days with temperatures surpassing the critical 30°C threshold.
Kristina Dahl, the Vice President for Science at Climate Central, cautioned that the coffee sector is increasingly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. She highlighted the rise in extreme heat days as a potential threat to coffee plants, affecting yields and quality, which could eventually impact consumers through potential changes in the quality and cost of their daily coffee fix.
Climate Central also pointed out that while recent US tariffs on Brazilian coffee imports contributed to price hikes, extreme weather conditions in coffee-growing regions worldwide played a significant role in the surge in coffee prices.
The study emphasized that coffee cultivation thrives under specific temperature and rainfall conditions. Temperatures exceeding 30°C were identified as highly detrimental to arabica coffee plants and suboptimal for the robusta variety, both of which are key contributors to the global coffee supply.
By examining the impact of carbon emissions on temperature levels, Climate Central determined the additional hot days induced by climate change, highlighting the concerning trend of escalating temperatures in recent years, with the past three years ranking as the hottest on record.
