The chocolate industry is facing a severe crisis due to the escalating climate emergency, with rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns affecting cacao production in west Africa.
The west African region, responsible for producing about 70% of the world’s cacao, has been grappling with the consequences of climate change. Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns have resulted in reduced harvests and increased prices of cocoa.
Cacao is native to the Americas, with evidence of its use dating back over 3,000 years to ancient Mesoamerican civilizations.
The Mayans and Aztecs prized cacao as a luxury item, using it to make a bitter drink that was considered a symbol of wealth and power.
Cacao beans were also used as currency in some regions.
Today, cacao is grown commercially in many countries around the world, with West Africa being the largest producer.
A recent report by Climate Central found that the trend of more frequent hotter temperatures is particularly pronounced in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the two largest cacao producers. Using data from 44 cacao-producing areas in west Africa, researchers compared today’s temperatures with a counterfactual of a world not affected by global heating.
Climate change refers to the long-term warming of the planet due to the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial agriculture release carbon dioxide and other pollutants, leading to a global average temperature rise of over 1°C since the late 19th century.
This has resulted in more frequent natural disasters, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events.
According to NASA, '2020 was one of the hottest years on record, with the past decade being the warmest ever recorded.'
Excessive heat can contribute to a reduction in the quantity and quality of the harvest. In addition to rising temperatures, other factors such as mealybug infestations, rainfall patterns, smuggling, and illegal mining are also harming cacao trees and driving up prices.
The impact of climate change on cacao production is a pressing concern for global chocolate supplies. Christian Aid’s research highlights the vulnerability of chocolate and cacao farmers to weather changes driven by global heating. The charity notes that conditions in west Africa have changed dramatically due to extreme rainfall and spoiled crops during the dry season in 2023 and the drought in 2024.
Failed harvests have led to a significant rise in cocoa prices since late 2023 on the London and New York markets. ‘The price of New York cocoa was more than $10,000 a tonne on Wednesday, below a peak of over $12,500 in mid-December.’ The Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli has announced plans to raise prices again this year to offset rising cocoa costs.
Professor Narcisa Pricope from Mississippi State University warns that the crop faces an ‘existential threat‘ largely due to increasingly dry conditions in cacao-producing regions. The emissions of greenhouse gases are the biggest cause of aridity, but practices that degrade soils and nature also play a significant role.
The preservation of the planet’s capacity to sustain life is at stake. Collective action against aridity is not just about saving chocolate; it’s about protecting the very foundation of our ecosystem. As Pricope notes, ‘it’s about preserving the planet’s capacity to sustain life.’
An ecosystem is a complex network of living organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, interacting with each other and their physical environment.
It encompasses the relationships between species, habitats, climate, soil, water, and nutrients.
There are several types of ecosystems, including terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and atmospheric.
Ecosystems provide essential services such as air and water purification, soil formation, and 'climate regulation'.
Human activities like deforestation, pollution, and overfishing can disrupt ecosystem balance, highlighting the need for conservation and sustainable management.
- theguardian.com | Climate crisis contributing to chocolate market meltdown, research finds
