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The Dangers of Climate Change
It has been a while now since scientists first warned us about climate change and its potential impact on the planet. Now that global warming is an indisputable fact, it is only a matter of time before it becomes an effective threat to our lives and environment. Unfortunately, some of the people most likely to be affected by this change are farmers living in southern countries. Fair Trade might be a part of the solution for coffee producers.
Even if most governments have ratified the Kyoto Protocol in the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there is still a strong ongoing political and public debate worldwide regarding the actions that should be taken to reduce the impact of future global warming.
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that average global surface temperatures will likely rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the twenty-first century. Some of the expected consequences of the increasing global temperatures are the rise of the sea level, an increase in the intensity of extreme weather events, significant changes to the amount and pattern of precipitation, and changes in agricultural fields and production.
“There is a lot of scientific evidence on the impact of global warming on coffee production (and the lives of the producers!) around the world. The United Nations estimates that 90% of Ugandan low-altitude coffee will disappear in twenty years. India, Kenya, Tanzania and other countries will be similarly affected. But the most telling evidence comes from the farmers themselves, who are painfully aware of global warming and can’t do anything about it”, mentioned Dean Cycon in his article "Will coffee be a casualty for climate change?".
In Peru, the melting of glaciers in the White Mountains and the droughts of other regions are proof that climatic change is happening and of the vulnerability of our ecosystems, says Augusto Aponte, executive director of Pidecafe. Peru is the third most affected country in the world by climate change, and the region of Piura in the North of the country in particular is among the most severely touched.
Piura has a very diverse and exceptional climate. On its coast, the temperatures are very hot, and in the
The changes in global weather patterns have caused this rainy season to become not only shorter, but to also increase in intensity and with accompanying sharp drops in temperature. However, during the rest of the year, water shortages and long periods of drought have become common as well. As a result, the production and quality of coffee has fallen. The trees do not flower enough, and as the coffee trees do not receive sufficient water, the cherries they produce are too small in size. The hull of the grain is more strongly bound to the grain, making the depulping process more difficult.
The sharp changes in temperature sometimes makes the coffee grains fall before they are fully mature and the icy periods inhibit the cherries from forming full grains (empty beans). Finally, diseases can also become more pronounced with this change in weather. For example, the “broca del café” which affects coffee cultivation every year in the highest regions, has become more common at lower altitudes due to the changes in temperature.
This change in climate also means that the optimal altitude for growing coffee is moving higher and higher up the mountains, which unfortunately means that the production levels at lower levels (from 100 to 1200 meters above sea level) have fallen. Families that had traditionally grown coffee there will need to supplant their income by other means. Migration and poverty will only be worsened as a result.
The story of Piura, is only one of many tales of communities affected climate change, with undoubtedly more in the future. Producer countries' geographical location makes them more vulnerable to the severe affects of climate changes, and their marginal economic and political positions make them much more susceptible to any adverse change in their livelihood.
In contrast to the conventional big coffee plantations and production, Fair Trade practices and standards that Cooperative Coffees follows protect the environment and encourage sustainable development. CoopCoffees’ producer partners meet the requirements of organic processing and diverisfy their production to protect biodiversity. The fair price and pre-financing they get to cover their costs are also destined to be re-invested in their community for various projects, including those adaptations in technology and production methods that can help to counteract the consequences of a changed environment.
Fair Trade provides an opportunity to not only avoid unjust or unsustainable practices, but to make a positive contribution to a better and fairer world.
Sources:
Aponte, Augusto. "CAFÉ Y CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO: LA SIERRA DE PIURA". Pidecafe.
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