New study shows that the growth of species of coffee plants (Coffee Arabica and Coffee Canephora) is negatively impacted by climate change.
Close your eyes and picture this scene: You're sitting at your desk, early in the morning, dreading the work day ahead of you. You didn't get good sleep the night before and can feel the stinging in your eyes caused from a lack of sleep. Then you take a deep breath in, and as you breathe in you get a whiff of a subtle, roasted, slightly fruity aroma. The smell of caramel fills up your nose as well as the warmth of steam. You turn around and see that the coffee you were brewing is now ready to drink. Your mood changes as you grab that warm cup of happiness containing a little piece of heaven and bring it to your lips, and from the first sip you feel energy and positivity flow in and your outlook changes. Supposedly. I am not a coffee drinker myself but I have heard wonders about this magic drink. Regardless of your stance, that warm cup of coffee may begin to taste different as time goes on and may begin to smell worse and it's all due to climate change.
A new study conducted by a research group in Tufts and Montana State University's Friedman School of Nutrition Sciences and Policy shows how a variety of environmental factors are negatively affecting the quality of coffee that is grown, affecting the coffee's aroma and taste (ScienceDaily, 2021). The study also found that apparently the quality of the coffee is affected by shifts in the climate occurring due to climate change as well.
The quality of the coffee was determined based upon sensory attributes (Aroma and taste) as well as the presence of primary and secondary metabolites. The primary metabolites and secondary metabolites present in these coffee species include things such as sugars, lipids, vitamins and minerals as well as caffeine, trigonelline, chlorogenic acids and terpenoids some of which are depicted in the figures below.
From left to right: Caffeine, trigonelline and isoprene, a type of terpenoid.
The study found that 2 factors were the most significant in affecting the quality of the coffee: the altitude in which the coffee is grown at as well as the amount of exposure it has to sunlight (Ahmed et. all, 2021). Some of the other environmental factors that affect the quality of the coffee's taste and aroma include water stress, increasing temperatures and increased carbon dioxide emissions. These environmental factors play an important role in determining where suitable places for coffee growth are however. The top 2 factors of altitude and sunlight exposure are geographical variables, however the other factors such as water stress and increasing temperatures are directly linked to climate change. Because of this, the lands that were once suitable for coffee production are now losing their quality.
The figures above show the results found from the research study, which show that an increase in altitude results in higher quality coffee and that increased light exposure results in lower quality coffee.
An example of lands that are losing their coffee production abilities can be found in Nicaragua. According to various projections, 90% of the coffee growing land in Nicaragua will disappear by the year 2050 due to changes in the climate that will occur. Conversely, coffee producing regions in East Africa and Asia have been identified as becoming spaces that are more suitable for coffee production in the near future, due to climate change. However, in order for these lands to access these new will cause for deforestation to occur, which will impact the biodiversity of the regions and have other negative effects such as increased gas emissions.
Some of the solutions that the study found that could work are shade management, pest management and selecting for climate-resistant wild coffee plants. However these are short terms solutions that won't really combat the long term drastic effects of climate change. In order to truly save our coffee and our planet we must look to long term solutions that will have a more permanent effect on the climate.
Author: Anas Mahmoud
References
Ahmed, S., Brinkley, S., Smith, E., Sela, A., Theisen, M., Thibodeau, C., Warne, T., Anderson, E., Van Dusen, N., Giuliano, P., Ionescu, K. E., & Cash, S. B. (1AD, January 1). Climate change and coffee quality: Systematic review on the effects of environmental and management variation on secondary metabolites and sensory attributes of Coffea Arabica and Coffea canephora. Frontiers. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.708013/full.
Isoprene. ChemSpider. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2021, from http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.6309.html?rid=05410d7d-dfb5-4ca1-a2f8-46e2f841ed01.
Snider, M. (2021, September 2). Go ahead, have that Third Cup of coffee. you just might live longer, new research suggests. USA Today. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/09/02/how-much-coffee-healthy-three-cups-reduce-heart-attack-risk/5668047001/.
Good title. Who would think climate change has anything to do with coffee? Your subtitle is helpful. The picture of the coffee cup is appetizing and would help engage the general reader. Your opening paragraph provides an engaging personal context. You describe the study (actually a review) quite well. The discussion of the chemical basis of coffee quality is interesting. The plot shows that most published studies do show the effects of altitude and light exposure that are the basis of the effects of climate change on coffee quality. Your outline of the economic and geographic consequences of a changing climate of the cultivation of coffee is interesting and, of course, concerning. This is a nice paper, although it is derived from the scientific literature rather than general interest media. Actually the USA Today article on the health effects of coffee is interesting and has chemical content, as well.
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