Climate changes are actively interfering with our lives, and sometimes in a rather unexpected way. One of these uncomfortable surprises is waiting for a sweet tooth – if in the near future there is no change, the risk of chocolate becomes a luxurious item. Popsci.com portal said why.
Very few people know that the industry's foundation with a volume of more than $ 100 billion is only four states in West Africa. More precisely, Cat-D'ivoire, Gan, Cameroon and Nigeria. They account for 70% of cocoa grown around the world. And now this factory is at risk of global warming.
At least, this is raised by two reports published in mid -February. The fact that the remaining 30% of cocoa is produced in similar climates near the equator, such as Indonesia and Ecuador. The best grows in the rain forest – high humidity, rich rainfall, nitrogen -rich soil and natural protection against wind. And the temperature is over 32 degrees Celsius, leading to stress, slow down the growth of the tree and reduce the quality of the beans.
Over the past year, climate change has led to the fact that the two -Thirds plantations in African countries spent at least six weeks at a higher temperature than this level. There is an assumption that this affects the bad season in 2024: For the context, Gana in the past year has only obtained 50% of cocoa from a typical standard.
The researchers have checked the temperature data of the regions and forecasts the climate in the past 10 years without human intervention. They discovered that from 2015 to 2024, the heating has extended the time not favorable for cocoa for an average of 2-4 weeks. Moreover, most hot days fall into the main harvest cycle, when plants bloom and produce beans. In addition, the warming of changes in the rain and drought accelerated model, leading to serious diseases between factories and reduced soil.
At the same time, scientists only started revealing the true scale of the impact of global warming on chocolate production. It is still not known which weather is the largest, but there are big problems with droughts in Ghana: they lead to 60% of plants.
Drought, floods and diseases have devastated this area, leading to the price increase of cocoa and in turn, the price of chocolate. The global chocolate production in 2023-2024 fell by 14%, and before the celebration of Valentine's Day, a 47-year-old record was broken in the cocoa market last year.
Also memorable that cocoa is used not only to produce desserts. This resource is a need in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, also accounting for a large part of the global market. According to the US Federal Reserve in December, the price of chocolate around the world increased by 144% – manufacturers had to pay extra money for raw bean processors. However, farmers themselves are developing cocoa rarely earning profits from this. They spend more money to take care of plants.