Are Your Morning coffee and Night time Chocolate On the Brink of Extinction?
A few years ago, I visited a chocolate shop in town that would give lectures and provide teachings on all things chocolate: you were able learn about the intricacies of growing cocoa beans, to taste different types of chocolate, and to better understand the ancient roots from which the cacao tree and its incredible food products stemmed in Indigenous South America. In fact, the Indigenous called the cacao “the food of the gods”, knowing back then the importance of gratitude for Mother Nature and its gifts.
Nowadays, we don’t bat an eyelash at the morning cup of Java, or the novelty-sized bag of holiday chocolates that rest quietly in our pantries. We consume, without thinking about how things are made, and how they are at the brink of damage and extinction. You heard me, as the lecture taught me over 5 years ago, and as I continue to understand this today, cocoa beans are threatened by climate change. I know some of us out there are skeptical of climate change (I am not one of them, however, understand that there are some who do not believe in this phenomenon), however, in this case, the proof is somewhat evident: due to high rates of industrial agriculture as well as rising temperatures, pollinators of the cacao plant are no longer interested, therefore fewer cacao plants can propagate.
Here are some possible of the consequences of cacao extinction:
1) There will be a higher rate of irritability among settlers of the First World in the absence of coffee and chocolate
2) There will be a loss of employment to farm workers who rely on this industry in South America for their livelihood
3) It will be likely that cacao plants will require genetic modification to propagate
How can we help keep our coffee and chocolate flowing? I call more on industry to start conserving water, invest in sustainable practices that reduce harmful environmental effects, and finally, for a cycle of renewability. This is certainly harder to do than to say, however, if we ask those who have been South American farm workers who have been growing and harvesting cacao for centuries what they would do to protect their environment, I certainly believe that we would be in the best position to guide us through and keep us all happy.
