Red-Wine Hot Chocolate
Pictured: Red-Wine Hot Chocolate When people talk about climate change, it’s often about rising temperatures and shrinking habitats. But one result that will have the biggest impact on our day-to-day lives is what hotter temperatures mean for food crops. Some of our favorite foods require a certain climate to grow-or, in the case of fish and shellfish, particular water conditions to thrive. Here are 10 things we’re at risk of losing, or that may be forced to move to cooler climates. That could have devastating impacts on local economies, and even impact the way the food tastes. 1. Coffee Cup of Joe As the tropics get warmer, coffee bushes become less productive and more susceptible to disease. By 2050, an estimated 50 percent of current coffee-producing land could be unusable. 2. Chocolate Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles Cacao trees can take the heat, but they don’t like the dryness that comes along with it. Some chocolate hot spots, like Indonesia and western Africa, are already seeing declines in yield. 3. Wine Wine Too much heat for too long destroys the acidity of grapes. The resulting wine tastes “cooked.” By the end of the century, many celebrated regions, such as Napa Valley, may be too hot to make great wine. 4. Apples containers Many apple varieties require a certain number of days of winter chill to produce fruit the following year. In the Northeast alone there are now 8 more frost-free days annually than a century ago. 5. Almonds Dark Chocolate Trail Mix California’s almond crops (annually a $4 billion industry) survived the recent drought by pumping in groundwater, but if it recurs, expect almonds to get rarer-and much more expensive. 6. Corn Garlic Butter Campfire Corn Yields of our most productive crop are already declining because of the freakishly hot summers of late. That trend will continue. By century’s end, production could drop by up to 50 percent. 7. Beans Composed Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Other than a few desert stalwarts like the tepary, most varieties of beans hate heat. As global temperatures continue to rise, we could lose 50 percent of conventional bean crops by midcentury. 8. Oysters Oysters As carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere, more gets absorbed by the oceans, which become increasingly acidic. That acid dissolves the calcium-based shells of bivalves like oysters. 9. Lobster Lobster Lobsters like cold water. And over the past few decades, their population has migrated northward. That’s been great news for Maine lobstermen, but by 2100, the Gulf of Maine may be too warm for them. 10. Maple Syrup Maple Syrup Sugar maple trees grow primarily in the Northeast, which by 2100 could have a climate similar to North Carolina’s. The maples would have to move farther north for optimal sap production. Read On: How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint with Food
Red-Wine Hot Chocolate
Red-Wine Hot Chocolate
Red-Wine Hot Chocolate
Pictured: Red-Wine Hot Chocolate
When people talk about climate change, it’s often about rising temperatures and shrinking habitats. But one result that will have the biggest impact on our day-to-day lives is what hotter temperatures mean for food crops. Some of our favorite foods require a certain climate to grow-or, in the case of fish and shellfish, particular water conditions to thrive. Here are 10 things we’re at risk of losing, or that may be forced to move to cooler climates. That could have devastating impacts on local economies, and even impact the way the food tastes.
1. Coffee
Cup of Joe
As the tropics get warmer, coffee bushes become less productive and more susceptible to disease. By 2050, an estimated 50 percent of current coffee-producing land could be unusable.
2. Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles
Cacao trees can take the heat, but they don’t like the dryness that comes along with it. Some chocolate hot spots, like Indonesia and western Africa, are already seeing declines in yield.
3. Wine
Wine
Too much heat for too long destroys the acidity of grapes. The resulting wine tastes “cooked.” By the end of the century, many celebrated regions, such as Napa Valley, may be too hot to make great wine.
4. Apples
containers
Many apple varieties require a certain number of days of winter chill to produce fruit the following year. In the Northeast alone there are now 8 more frost-free days annually than a century ago.
5. Almonds
Dark Chocolate Trail Mix
California’s almond crops (annually a $4 billion industry) survived the recent drought by pumping in groundwater, but if it recurs, expect almonds to get rarer-and much more expensive.
6. Corn
Garlic Butter Campfire Corn
Yields of our most productive crop are already declining because of the freakishly hot summers of late. That trend will continue. By century’s end, production could drop by up to 50 percent.
7. Beans
Composed Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Other than a few desert stalwarts like the tepary, most varieties of beans hate heat. As global temperatures continue to rise, we could lose 50 percent of conventional bean crops by midcentury.
8. Oysters
Oysters
As carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere, more gets absorbed by the oceans, which become increasingly acidic. That acid dissolves the calcium-based shells of bivalves like oysters.
9. Lobster
Lobster
Lobsters like cold water. And over the past few decades, their population has migrated northward. That’s been great news for Maine lobstermen, but by 2100, the Gulf of Maine may be too warm for them.
10. Maple Syrup
Maple Syrup
Sugar maple trees grow primarily in the Northeast, which by 2100 could have a climate similar to North Carolina’s. The maples would have to move farther north for optimal sap production.
Read On:
How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint with Food
Cup of Joe
Cup of Joe
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles
Wine
Wine
containers
containers
Dark Chocolate Trail Mix
Dark Chocolate Trail Mix
Garlic Butter Campfire Corn
Garlic Butter Campfire Corn
Composed Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Composed Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Oysters
Oysters
Lobster
Lobster
Maple Syrup
Maple Syrup
