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Only four Western Africa countries are the basis of an industry worth more than $ 100 billion. In the tropical nations of Côte d’IVorire, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria, the ranks of cocoa trees sprout pods with dozens of seeds. Once harvested, these humble beans are dried, are touched and processed in something loved worldwide.
Chocolate has been coveted for millennia and, particularly on Valentine’s Day, is an unmistakable sample. But as the increasingly erratic climate continues to increase the costs of confectionery, the sweet gift has become a symbol of something much less romantic: climate change.
Two reports published on Wednesday found that warming is pushing temperatures beyond the optimal range for cocoa growth in countries in the heart of the world supply, particularly during the primary harvest seasons. Research reveals how oil, coal and methane He is roasting the planet’s cocoa belt and Chocolate prices aligning.
“One of the foods that the world loves is at risk due to climate change,” said Kristina Dahl, vice president of science in the non -profit climate, who wrote one of the two reports. “I hope that hearing that human activity is making cocoa cultivation difficult, could make people stop and think about our priorities as a species, and if we can and must prioritize actions to limit future climate change and future damage. To this meal we love so much. “
About 70 percent From the cocoa of the world is grown in West Africa, with Ivory, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria coast the largest producers. Most of the rest is grown in places with similar climates not far from Ecuador, such as Indonesia and Ecuador. Trees grow better in Tropical jungle conditions With high humidity, abundant rain, nitrogen rich and natural wind tampons. Exposure to temperatures greater than 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit causes water stress, hinders plants growth and erodes the quality and number of seeds produced by trees.
Last year, warming added at least six weeks above that threshold in almost two thirds of cocoa producing areas through Ivory, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria coast, probably contributing to a disastrous harvestAccording to him Central Climate Report.
The researchers examined the temperature data of the region and the estimates of what could have been experienced in the last decade in a world without human -induced heating. They discovered that between 2015 and 2024, climate change increased the number of days of each country experiences temperature ranges above the ideal for cocoa growth in an average of two to four weeks per year. Most of those hottest days arrived during the main cultivation cycle, when plants bloom and produce beans. Heating is also altering rain patterns, accelerating droughts, facilitating the propagation of devastating diseases such as capsule rot and contributing to soil degradation. Another new study The low pollination rates and the highest temperatures than the average in Ghana have combined to limit yields.
But the mockery of the amount of impact that climate change has had on production and consumption prices remain largely without worry about scientists and economists. Dahl also said that it is unknown which meteorological phenomenon is behind the greatest impact on production, nor is it clear what influence The child He had last year’s crops.
Emmanuel Essah-Menah, a cocoa producer in Ghana, described climate change as one of the most serious problems that affect production in Western Africa. “Drought means that we are losing 60 percent of our cocoa plants. I have seen a drastic decrease in income, as well as all farmers in my agricultural cooperative, ”said Essah-Mensah a Grist.
The droughts, floods and diseases of the plants that take the region last year contributed to the record prices of cocoa, which in turn caused the cost of chocolate to jump, according to a report By the Christian Aid organization without profit, which works towards sustainable development and economic justice. Global cocoa production fell about 14 percent In the 2023-24 season, and before the Valentine’s Day last year, the high price of cocoa in the futures market destroyed a 47 -year record.
Kat Kramer, co -author of the report and consultant of climatic policies of the non -profit organization, said that the findings and those of Central Climate expose the vulnerability of the industry to climate change. “Chocolate lovers need to push companies and their governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Kramer said, “otherwise, chocolate supplies will be tragically to increase climate risk.”
The implications of this go beyond what it means for this delicious delicacy. Cocoa is also used in other products such as cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, which represent a significant piece of the global market. However, chocolate is still the king, with the United States importing $ 2.8 billion It is worth every year: more than 10 percent of the world’s offer.
Federal Reserve data He suggests that global cocoa prices increased by 144 percent in December, more than double the previous year, Alla Senova, Economist from St. Mary’s College de Maryland. This is known as the price of the producer, or what the global chocolate manufacturers pay to those who process raw beans. Even so, that cost is often absorbed by conftentional customers. “When producer prices increase, when production costs increase, consumer prices increase,” said Semenova.
However, even as prices increase, farmers who raise cocoa do not always see any of those profits. Josephine George Francis, who produces the harvest along with coffee in his farm in Liberia, said that the farmers of Western Africa actually lose money due to the growing cost of growing crops in a world of heating. “We need a different approach that puts sustainability and farmers in their hearts,” said George Francis. “We do not benefit from the increase in prices in world markets.”
Of course, cocoa is not the only ingredient in conference threatened by warming. At the beginning of last year, sugar, another essential ingredient, sold in some of the Higher prices In more than a decade after extreme weather Global Production of Limited Sugar Caña.
“It is not just the amount of cocoa production affected by the acceleration of climate change,” Like said. “The type and quality of the ingredients that go to chocolate production will change.”
All this has led many chocolatiers to adapt. Some, like Mars and HersheyThey have been silently reducing the amount of cocoa or even introducing new treats that completely eliminate it. As prices continue to increase, Analysts hope to see the diminishing demandA trend that even Valentine’s Day cannot stop.
This article originally appeared in Grinding in https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/climate-change-is-scorching-the-cocoa-belt-and-youre-paying-the-price/. Grist is a non -profit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climatic solutions and a fair future. Get more information in Grist.org