Climate change has brought many changes into our lives, and a lot of them are bad. Many industries have been threatened by such a  problem. The problem is continuing to rise and  need quick actions or damages will become worse. Far in the future, climate change might be the culprit of what makes this planet uninhabitable. Sounds exaggerated, but considering the effects, it might be possible to happen.

Hurting Coffee Farmers

Coffee plants demand special temperatures to grow well. Roughly between 18 – 21 Celcius. This is why coffee grows best at certain high elevations, which are about 1000 – 2000 metres above sea level. Greenhouse gas emissions have warmed several regions by 1.2 degrees (celcius) since 1980. The raising temperatures force farmers to cultivate coffee higher up the mountain. That means an end for those who do not possess higher land. 

At above required temperature, beans development and ripening accelerate, causing degradation of its quality. Moreover, warmer temperatures increase the hospitable conditions for insects and fungi to live and thrive. Climate change has also made weather nearly impossible to predict. 

Because temperatures continue to rise, there will be no more land for cultivation. Some reports said that more than 7% the amount of land used for coffee cultivation has fallen since 2013. Scientists speculate that by 2050 the amount of land that can sustain coffee cultivation will be reduced by 50%. The variety of coffee is also at risk of extinction, it is estimated more than 59% of wild coffee species could be extinct. 

Coffee is not just about something we enjoy every morning, it is more about economic survival. Many farmers count on it to survive. 25 millions people make a living as coffee farmers, and many of them are now living in poverty. Those millions of people produce 80% of global coffee. Because they are only small-holder farmers, not much they can do to cope and adapt with climate changes. This climate issue has already taken a heavy toll on coffee production and farmers’ lives, and it will make your coffee cost more and taste worse. Governments and institutions need to make a sustained widespread effort to help farmers adapt to climate change.

Make Hurricanes Stronger and More Destructive

Hurricanes are one of the fiercest furies of nature. The damages are considerably huge. When hurricanes strike land they can cause flooding and storm surge, hundreds of people died, billions of money needed to repairs. Now with the climate changes, those nightmares are likely to be exacerbated.

Hurricane only forms over warm ocean waters. It requires warm, moist air and wind as fuel. These ingredients are well served in tropical regions where the ocean is over 80 degrees F. The warmer water temperature, the potential for tropical cyclones to develop. Many studies have shown that because of our ocean are getting warmer – thanks to climate change – the likelihood of tropical cyclones activity increases. Sadly, that is not only the one thing we should concern about, because of the warmer temperatures over the ocean which make hurricanes carry more moisture, also make them stay stronger and longer after hitting land. Therefore hurricanes will reach communities further inland and be more destructive. The time it takes for the hurricane to dissipate has almost twice as slow now compared to 50 years ago.

Central America has been struck by Iota hurricane last November (2020). Some local says it was the strongest hurricane they have ever seen since the 1970s. Such phenomena can exacerbate poverty. In the US alone, about 123 million people live in coastal counties. Hurricanes are not only damaging infrastructure but also leave so many people unemployment.