When Olive Oil Prices Overshadow the Harsh Realities of Climate Disaster for Millions
A particular newspaper, notorious for its ties to fossil fuel interests and treating climate change as mere "opinion," has finally acknowledged the climate crisis—motivated by the inconvenience of a subpar salad dressing.
The contentious article refers to the climate crisis as "apocalyptic," but not due to the millions of farmers facing existential threats. Instead, the focus is on the soaring cost of olive oil, now a luxury for salad enthusiasts.
This article reveals much about the publication's priorities, showcasing an organization with significant influence that prioritizes culinary preferences over the dire circumstances of countless individuals.
As global temperatures climb, so do prices. Scorching heatwaves are decimating Mediterranean olive groves, causing the price of olive oil to double in the past two years. Marketers have even begun calling it "liquid gold."
But olive oil isn't the only casualty. Coffee, wine, and chocolate are also imperiled by extreme weather events driven by climate change.
Approximately 125 million people depend on coffee farming, with the majority belonging to the world's poorest communities. This figure increases significantly when considering the entire coffee supply chain.
Rising temperatures are shrinking the land suitable for coffee cultivation. By 2050, experts predict that the available land will be halved.
Achieving high-quality coffee yields is becoming increasingly difficult. Major coffee-producing countries are grappling with erratic weather patterns and rising average temperatures. While local adaptations and agricultural innovations help mitigate some impacts, climate change is progressing at an unprecedented rate for farming communities. Many have already been devastated. Coupled with the surging global demand for coffee, we can expect more communities to suffer, yields to become unpredictable, and coffee prices to soar.
This isn't the whimsical "wonky weather" described in the article; it's a severe threat to our planet and its inhabitants. The rising temperatures are pushing coffee-growing areas, known as the "bean belt," to higher elevations in mountains and forest reserves. This shift displaces indigenous communities and biodiverse wildlife living at these altitudes.
Millions of people will lose their primary source of income, negatively impacting both local and national economies.
So, how do we take meaningful action? Typically, coffee grounds end up in landfills, where they emit methane—a greenhouse gas 20 times more harmful than CO2. We partner with 918 Coffee Co, the highest-scoring B Corp coffee roastery globally, to drive positive change. We collect and return used coffee grounds to 918 Coffee Co with each new delivery. Being local helps minimize transportation impact. The returned grounds are then used to generate the thermal energy needed to roast fresh coffee beans, eliminating the need for fossil fuels in the roasting process. This eco-roast technology not only prevents used coffee grounds from ending up in landfills but also significantly reduces our carbon footprint. Now, that’s true commitment.
Will the threat to life's "finer things" finally prompt people to wake up and act? Is this the necessary push for meaningful action? Why do we only react when our luxuries are endangered?
To the newspaper dismissing climate change as an “opinion,” know this: science does not care about your opinion, and neither do we.
