|
General Off Topic Almost anything goes! |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
We're At Risk Of A Global Coffee Shortage, Say Scientists
"Forget Brexit, the true threat to our nation’s future stability might be a distinct lack of caffeine, as 60% of the world’s coffee plants are now threatened with extinction says the Huffingtonpost.
Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew have revealed that 75 of the 124 coffee species we drink could be wiped out – if current trends in deforestation and climate change continue. There’s also the worsening problem of fungal disease and pests to deal with. There are 13 coffee species in the “most at-risk” category, while 40 are endangered and 22 vulnerable to extinction. The level of risk for coffee is much higher than for plants as a whole – an estimated 22% of plant species worldwide are threatened with extinction. Coffee not essential for life, Swiss government says. he Swiss government wants to put an end to its emergency stockpile of coffee after declaring that it is "not essential" for human survival. Switzerland began storing emergency reserves of coffee between World War One and World War Two in preparation for potential shortages. It continued in subsequent decades to combat shortages sparked by war, natural disasters or epidemics. It now hopes to end the practice by late 2022. But opposition is mounting. It currently has 15,300 tonnes saved up - that's enough to last the country three months. Why stop this? The government now says coffee is "not essential for life" so doesn't need to be included in the emergency reserves. "Coffee contains almost no calories and therefore does not contribute, from the physiological perspective, to safeguarding nutrition," the Federal Office for National Economic Supply said (in German). |
|
|
Audio Aficionado Sponsors | |