Wednesday, October 14, 2009

blog action day / theme thursday = climate change


click to enlarge -
photo: courtesy of CafeP11 - Guatemala

In a coffee bean:

Coffee has specific growing conditions.

Subtropical regions have distinct wet and dry seasons.

Plants can live and produce fruit for decades,
although drought and or heat in summer can
diminish production and quality.

Coffee requires a dry period in the spring,
and heavy rains in this season can disrupt flowering.

Global climate change will impact coffee growing and production.

Instability brought on by droughts and floods,
and unusual cold spells, pests whose range will
also change as temperatures rise.

Farmers are left with few choices.

Most small owners do not have the money or credit to buy property,
even if it is available to purchase; most land is already under
ownership that is passed down within families.

If converting and clearing the land of existing forests occur,
the old coffee farms will have to be converted to other crops,
none likely to be as environmentally friendly as shade coffee.

What does this mean?
Deforestation of new and old coffee farms,
changing coffee to other crops will add to
and accelerate warming trends, since trees
help hold in carbon and buffer temperature changes.

This is just one of many environmental stories
in the naked World.

Thanks for saving the Coffee Bean!

and check others around the World
Here

Cheers!

12 comments:

Kris McCracken said...

Can one chain one's self to a bean?

Wings1295 said...

We HAVE to keep the coffee bean alive!

Dakota Bear said...

Very interesting to read about the requirements for growing coffee beans. Even though I am a teetotaler I'd be lost without coffee once in awhile.

Colette Amelia said...

what a dilema! as usual very eloquent in word and image!

Tom said...

developing countries are going through the same motions the states did 100 years ago...they will make the same mistakes, and hopefully learn faster than we did. Save the Bean!

Brian Miller said...

if ever there was a reason to change...i need my coffee!

Betsy Brock said...

The most convincing arguement yet! LOL!

e said...

Terrific posting, despote the fact that I am weaning myself away from coffee! I would love to read the article in that issue of Whole Earth about global coffee addiction.
Thanks for this posting and best to L!

Kat Mortensen said...

I ONLY ever buy Fair Trade organic coffee.

Roy said...

Man, if there's one thing that could convert a climate change denier to an environmentalist, it would be this article. The Holy Coffee Bean in danger? Heaven forbid!

Great tune! I know that's the Pat Metheney Group (who could mistake Pat's guitar and Lyle Mays' piano style?), but what album was that on?

Unknown said...

Excellent post. Again you have taught me what I did not know. Thanks!

Baino said...

Depends on the replacement crops I believe, I can live without coffee . . well for a day or two. And I'm a fair trade organic coffee buyer as well.