For those accustomed to getting their morning jolt from a cup of coffee, climate change is about to become a major buzzkill. According to a recent study by the International Center of Tropical Agriculture, a quarter of the coffee crops of the world’s major producers could be wiped out by rising temperatures by 2050. But the legitimate concern about climate effects on coffee production can obscure another problem: the coffee sector’s contributions to global warming. Aside from being a victim of climate change, the coffee sector spews large amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Costa Rica, for one, is taking that problem seriously. The country’s Agriculture Ministry estimates that the coffee sector emits an estimated 9% of the country’s total carbon emissions. But that... [Log in to read more]