THREATS TO MORE THAN A CAFFEINE FIX
Climate change is reshaping the coffee industry, with far-reaching consequences for both producers and consumers. Governments, international organisations, and major coffee companies need to coordinate efforts to help coffee farmers adapt.
This includes investing in the research and development of climate-resilient coffee varieties, providing financial and technical assistance to farmers, promoting practices like intercropping under shade trees, and improving infrastructure to manage water resources more sustainably.
Consumers can also play a role. Supporting sustainable coffee brands and advocating for stronger climate policies are small but significant steps.
Even people who don’t drink coffee can help mitigate climate change by pressuring governments to adopt stronger climate mitigation policies, using public transport, reducing single-use plastics and buying energy-efficient products.
It’s time to reconsider our morning routine and recognise the complex web of factors that bring coffee to our tables. Climate change threatens more than just our caffeine fix – it endangers livelihoods, economies, and a cherished global tradition. Action must be taken now, before our coffee cups run dry.
Thang Nam Do is a Fellow in the Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific Grand Challenge Program at the Crawford School of Public Policy and the Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, Australian National University. This commentary first appeared on East Asia Forum.
