deforestation

Deforestation and flooding in Bangladesh, the collapse of Black Sea fisheries, the desertification of sub-Saharan Africa and “a nearly endless list” of other issues, he said, would drive human migration.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, coffee cultivation is currently the sixth largest cause of deforestation.

Also, in December, a new EU regulation is set to come into effect that outlaws the sale of products, coffee included, that can’t prove they are not linked to deforestation.

In some countries there is even a risk they turn to illicit activities such as growing coca – the plant cocaine derives from – which has similar deforestation issues.

Niels Haak, director of sustainable coffee partnerships at Conservation International, an environmental non-profit, welcomes the innovative approaches to tackling coffee’s deforestation problem, but he also doubts if beanless coffee will be able to make much dent.