Heat Damages Colombia Coffee, Raising Prices

Is global warming now making your cup of coffee more expensive? Rising temperatures, heavy rains and fungus are certainly reducing coffee yields throughout Latin America, reports Elisabeth Rosenthal for the New York Times. The reduced yields coincide with attempts in Colombia to establish brand certification based on flavor and origin. Some commodity analysts suggest that the nation has hit a “peak” and changing weather patterns could prohibit a return to record harvests. “Yet as stockpiles of some of the best coffee beans shrink, global demand is soaring as the rising middle classes of emerging economies like Brazil, India and China develop the coffee habit,” writes Rosenthal. Declining harvests combined with increasing demand lead to price hikes for millions of consumers and their routine morning beverage. Scientists won’t confirm that Colombia’s specific, steadily changing weather trends are a direct result of global warming and human carbon releases into the atmosphere, while coffee growers and suppliers are less hesitant about assigning blame. – YaleGlobal