Will Kletter is VP operations and strategy at long-range weather forecasting and ag insights platform ClimateAi.The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of AgFunderNews.Coffee drinkers around the world are facing a bitter reality: the rising cost of their daily cup of caffeine.In December, futures of Arabica coffee — the most popular variety prized for its smoother taste and higher quality — hit their highest level in nearly 50 years. In September, Robusta coffee — the second-most traded variety known for its strong, bitter flavor — reached a record high on the ICE-LIFFE futures exchange and currently trades up 93%on the year.The key drivers are two-fold: the world’s two largest coffee producers, Brazil and Vietnam, experienced drought and heavy rain [respectively] during critical growing and harvest periods; and demand for the drink, particularly in emerging markets such as China and India, continues to grow.But this most recent price increase is not an anomaly. Severe weather conditions have strained supply chains and challenged traditional procurement models over the last decade, ultimately driving up coffee prices.Extreme weather is now the normGlobally, droughts, frosts, and heat waves are becoming recurring threats, disrupting the delicate balance required for coffee cultivation. Brazil, which accounts for roughly 40% of global coffee production, exemplifies the fragility of this balance. The country’s reliance on Arabica beans, which are highly sensitive to climatic changes, only amplifies the risks.In 2015, for example, Brazil’s coffee belt was hit by one of the worst droughts in decades and crop yields dropped significantly. Prices then jumped almost 100% compared to the previous year.In the years since, just the mere perception of risk has been enough to drive volatility.During the 2023-2024 growing season, for instance, Brazil experienced a heat-drought event that had a limited impact on production volumes compared to 2015

There are a lot of ways to describe what’s happening to the Earth’s climate: Global warming. Climate change. Climate crisis. Global weirding. They all try to capture in different ways the phenomena caused by our world’s weather systems gone awry. Yet despite a thesaurus-entry’s worth of options, it’s still a remarkably difficult concept to make relatable.Researchers at MIT might finally have an answer, though

As rising sea levels present a challenge, scientists have found a way to combat this effect of climate change, which is caused by global warming. This phenomenon, known as global warming, refers to the rising temperature of the planet and is one of the biggest threats today.Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns are a natural occurrence that has been going on for a long time. However, scientists assert that ever since the 1800s, the pace of this change has increased significantly, primarily due to human activities.Global warming occurs when greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane absorb sunlight and solar radiation. These pollutants then trap the heat, causing temperatures to rise. Scientists attribute this to fueling hotter heat waves, wildfires, more frequent droughts, more damaging hurricanes, heavier rainfall, and intensified weather patterns.Yet another effect of global warming, as previously mentioned, is the rising sea levels caused by the melting of glaciers and Earth’s ice sheets. Predictions state the sea level rise from Greenland alone could reach about 10 cm by 2100