In 70 years wild coffee could be extinct

A study conducted by scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, UK, in collaboration with scientists in ethiopia, reports that climate change alone could lead to the extinction of wild Arabica coffee (Coffee arabica) well before the end of this century.

    Wild Arabica is considered important for the sustainability of the coffee industry due to its considerable genetic diversity.

    The Arabicas grwon in the world's coffee plantations are from very limited genetic stock and are unlikely to have the flexibilty required to cope with climate change and other threats, such as pests and diseases. In Ethiopia, the largest producer of coffee in Africa, climate change will also have a negative influence on coffee production. The climate sensitivity of Arabica is confirmed, supporting the widely reported assumption that climate change will have a damaging impact on commercial coffee production worldwide. These are worrying prospects for the worldwide. These are worrying prospects for the world's favourite beverage - the second most traded commodity after oil, and one crucial to the economies of several countries.
     Justin Moat, Head of Spatial Information Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, says, "The worst case scenario, as drawn from our analyses, is that wild Arabica could be extinct by 2080. This should alert decision makers to the fragility of the species.