Study reveals climate threat to coffee, chocolate and wine

THE future of coffee, chocolate and wine is at risk from climate change even with dramatic interventions to block sunlight from the Earth's surface, a study warns.

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cacao plant which requires specific climactic conditions

(MIRRORPIX)

Scientists have been exploring geoengineering as a way to cool the planet, including a hypothetical process to inject highly reflective particles into the stratosphere to cool the Earth’s surface.

The process - known as stratospheric sulphate aerosol injection (SAI) - could help to reflect some sunlight away from Earth, which is warming rapidly as carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere because of human activities.

But climate scientists warned that this strategy, which mimics the natural cooling effects of volcanic eruptions, may not be enough to save economically important crops such as wine grapes, coffee and the cacao beans used to make chocolate.