Endangered Coffee

If you're half as passionate about your morning cup of Joe as I am then you would be in utter shock to learn that the beloved bean may be in danger of extension.  It seems that researchers have finally discovered a way to shock a huge majority of the waking world to take climate change more seriously: they've pointed out how global warming could potentially wipe out coffee plants.  If you've never tried coffee tourism now is the time to celebrate the bean by visiting a coffee producer by car rental. 

In a study by researchers in Kew Royal Botanic Gardens they found that by 2080 up to 99% of the localities for wild Arabica coffee to grow could be "bioclimatically unsuitable" due to global warming.  While the study focused on the wild Arabica plant, it is certain that if the wild plant, which has greater genetic diversity than the cultivated beans and is therefore more able to adapt to climate change, were to diminish in numbers that farmers would lose drastic amounts of their crops as well.

Does the idea of coffee becoming a precious and rare commodity in the future make it a bit more valuable to you right now?  Can you imagine a world where the price of coffee went up by 200%?  500%?  If coffee were suddenly only served in specialty restaurants at exorbitant prices, in tiny little cups?  Though still hypothetical, the road we're on could be a potentially devastating one for coffee drinkers.  You can get to know the bean and the land it comes from with a car rental from San Jose Airport in Costa Rica for a trip to the Cafe Britt Coffee Tour.  There are several other excellent coffee tourism destinations around the world where you can tour real coffee plantations and experience these threatened climates by car hire.