- Blog
- Food & Agriculture
- #flirtingwithdisaster on Valentine’s Day
#flirtingwithdisaster on Valentine’s Day
Donate Now!
Your contribution will benefit Friends of the Earth.
Stay Informed
Thanks for your interest in Friends of the Earth. You can find information about us and get in touch the following ways:
The onset of climate chaos and the extreme weather patterns it brings, is rapidly shaping the planet. In a globalized world, no sector is left unaffected by new weather patterns and extreme weather. Even the everyday pleasures we enjoy each Valentine’s Day, from chocolate to flowers, are threatened.
Chocolate
- A two degree Celsius rise could result in a 40-70 percent loss in cocoa production in many regions.
- Cocoa prices have increased 60 percent since 2012 due to major climate changes in West Africa.
- By 2020, a potential global cocoa shortage is likely due to the deterioration of arable land.
Coffee
- Global warming and droughts threaten to eliminate 65-100 percent of land suitable for growing coffee in Africa.
- Increasing temperatures have exposed coffee plants to devastating fungi that threaten production.
- In February 2014, Brazilian coffee prices rose 70 percent, driven by droughts.
Cotton + Teddy Bears
- Predicted temperature increases could reduce cotton production by as much as 80 percent.
- 90 percent of cotton farmers live in countries that lack the infrastructure and preparedness to respond to the threat of climate change.
Wine
- California is expected to lose nearly 70 percent of its arable land suited for wine grapes.
- By 2050, many of the world’s most prominent wine regions (including Bordeaux, France) may be unsuitable for wine production.
Flowers
- Kenya’s prominent rose production threatened by droughts, floods and an expected temperature increase of 2-5° C.
- Forest cover has dropped from 10 percent to 1.2 percent since 1960 in the Lake Naivasha region in Kenya, endangering the continent’s largest flower exporter.
- A single rose has an estimated water footprint of 7-13 liters.
- Production of 12,000 Kenyan roses create 13,200 pounds of CO2.
Strawberries
- The use of insecticides and pesticides can increase soil acidity to as low as 4.1, preventing strawberry plants from producing fruit.
Silk
- Logging, pesticides & climate change threaten larvae silk production in India
Sugar
- Hot temperatures and dry soil reduced Indonesian sugar cane by 30 percent in 2011
Stationary/paper
- Over 40 percent of global wood harvest is for paper production, such as your Valentine’s Day card
- 80 percent of the forests, used to make your valentines, have been destroyed worldwide
Cheese
- Farmers from Vermont to France fear that weather changes are affecting the taste of their cheese