Climate change could shrink chocolate production: report

Los Angeles Times ^ | 10/12/11 | Tiffany Hsu

[NormsRevenge]

Scientists say climate change will eventually claim many victims -– including, according to a new report, chocolate.

As temperatures increase and weather trends change, the main growing regions for cocoa could shrink drastically, according to new research from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture.

Ghana and the Ivory Coast –- which produce more than half of the global cocoa supply –- could take a major hit by 2050.

Currently, the optimal locations to grow the crop are about 330 feet to 820 feet above sea level, with temperatures of about 72 degrees Fahrenheit to 77 degrees. That range will soar to 1,500 feet to 1,640 feet in four decades to compensate for hotter weather.

Cocoa production, which reached about $9 billion from 2008 to 2009 and accounts for 7.5% of the Ivory Coast’s gross domestic product and 3.4% of Ghana’s, could be in for a heavy slide.

Peter Gleick, a MacArthur fellow and chief executive of the Pacific Institute, bemoaned the potential decline of the sweet treat last week in an open letter to climate change skeptics in Forbes.

[NormsRevenge]

O o . .. This is getting hugh and series..

Will we need to get used to smaller chocolate Easter bunnies, skinnier M&Ms.. ?

Developing.. 8-0

[gimme1ibertee]

ALL RIGHT.....THIS HAS GONE WAAAAY TOO FAR,NOW....:P

[NormsRevenge]

WE’re looking at disasters of gastronomic proportions. (except for coffee,, for now)

RELATED stories at main link.

Coffee gets cheaper as Smucker slashes prices 6%
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2011/08/coffee-cheaper-smucker-price-cut.html

Peanut butter prices about to soar amid poor harvest
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2011/10/peanut-butter-prices-spike-amid-difficult-us-peanut-harvest.html

[rfp1234]

Yeah, global cooling is bad for tropical plants...

[dragonblustar]

O o . .. This is getting hugh and series..

[mk2000]

Michelle Obama just sent a tractor trailer to Hersheys as I type.

[NormsRevenge]

but wait, there are substitutes under development..

[Mr. K]

who is supplying the food for these ‘tards?

[nascarnation]

Baraq’s Baby got BACK !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4he79krseU

[rfp1234]

No worries, Willard Mitt Wonka will save us all from this calamity by mandating cocoa deprivation insurance.

[McGavin999]

By 2050 I’ll be dead so who cares!

[skinkinthegrass]

NO!
this GloBULL warning CR@P!, Is gettin' outa' hand

[GSWarrior]

Do women know about chocolate shrinkage?

[smokingfrog]

[GSWarrior]

skinnier M&Ms

N&Ns?

[mc5cents]

Ok. Add it to the list then. It's a long list.

[poobear]

Women, minorities and third world starvation trumped by a chocolate shortage. It's like Khadafi drawing a line in the sand back in the 80’s and 90’s!

Pathetic!

Although I have stocked up on 70% cocoa powder. Just saying.

[exPBRrat]

Huh, I wonder what another ice age will do to those production stats?

[Jack Hydrazine]

That’s a lotta junkage in the trunkage!

[ken21]

chilluns and minorities hurt most.

[Elendur]

exactly.
Hadley CRU wanted to “hide the decline”.
the world is getting colder, not hotter...

http://www.real-science.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ScreenHunter_135-Sep.-16-09.00.gif

http://www.real-science.com/day-2011-cooler-2010-2

http://uddebatt.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/recent-9-months-u-s-temperature-trenddecade-7-8-f-cooler-in-100-years/

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/276516/Britain-faces-a-mini-ice-age-

http://antigreen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?orderby=updated

[NormsRevenge]

FR thread

Peanut butter prices about to soar amid poor harvest
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2791594/posts

[Tex-Con-Man]

Republican Party should propose heavily subsidized chocolate production...make a pretty good dent in the current “gender gap” advantage the Dems have.

[JRandomFreeper]

If chocolate production should suddenly decline, I'll load up old Dollar, a couple of pack mules, and get VERY lost in the badlands of New Mexico until after the wars are over.

I don't particularly care for chocolate, but I know some gals that will be calling for nuclear weapons strikes, anywhere, if they run short.

/johnny

[Cicero]

I hear that global warming may force Al Gore to turn up the air conditioning in his California mansion.

[NormsRevenge]

LOL. I’ll be pushing 95 myself, well, my bones anyway.

[Ernie Kaputnik]

“Climate change could shrink chocolate production”

That’s great news. Now Moochelle won’t have to worry so much about childhod obesity. Would appear chocolate will be too expensive for the breeding class to consume.

Now if we could just get Chewie to get her fat ass on a stair climber instead of doing 3 minutes of jumping jacks.

Now, please be sure to shave the hair under your arm-pits and back before your next taxpayer-funded vacation. You got’s to come correct and represent us stoopid mouthbreathers to the rest o’ duh world wid class. Know what I B sayin’? Yu got’s to keep it real.

[ColdOne]

Oh the horror! No really!

[Fresh Wind]

That train’s pulling a big caboose!

[ml/nj]

As temperatures increase and weather trends change, the main growing regions for cocoa could shrink drastically, according to new research from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture.

I wonder whether they considered that I might be able to grow my own cocoa plants in NJ.

ML/NJ

[ml/nj]

As temperatures increase and weather trends change, the main growing regions for cocoa could shrink drastically, according to new research from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture.

I wonder whether they considered that I might be able to grow my own cocoa plants in NJ.

ML/NJ

[kevkrom]

who is supplying the food for these ‘tards?

Solyent Green, Inc. I dunno much about them, but I'm guessing by the name that they're one of those "green" businesses getting stimulus cash.

[Gator113]

So what.... Michelle Obama doesn’t want us to eat chocolate.

[BitWielder1]

If there is any truth to this at all, then cocoa production will spring up in other more favorable locations.
This works for all cash crops.
They will grow fine somewhere and if there is profit to be had, someone will figure it out and others will copy.
The only thing that could prevent it is more 'regulation'.

[spawn44]

The socilaist democrats who funded this study should be prosecuted for misspending taxpayers funds. The scammers that pulled off the phoney study should be prosecuted right along with them. Enough is enough. Just another reason to vote these democrat frauds out on their idealogical rears ends in the next elections.

[NRA1995]

They’re throwing everything they can at the wall to see what sticks....

[TheOldLady]

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[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It’s getting crazy!

[steelyourfaith]

Thanx for the ping Ernest_at_the_Beach !

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[SouthTexas]

Well since it’s not really getting warmer, does this mean we will have MORE chocolate?

Solid bunnies instead of hollow ones?

[Carry_Okie]

Blame Ray Nagin's chocolate hurricane.

[Marine_Uncle]

"It’s getting crazy!"
You got that right. Meanwhile Britain is bracing for another cold long winter. Looks like the kiddies will not forget what snow looks like.

[ShorelineMike]

Chocolate ping.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

skinnier M&Ms

N&Ns?

Worse!!

L & Ls! They will of course be called LOLs in a brilliant marketing move.

[Lancey Howard]

It’s getting crazy!

"Getting"?
The "climate change" fraud has relied on simple-minded insanity from the beginning.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Free Republic Chocoholic Ping List

[GeronL]

Talk about your headline grabbing scare tactics

[Gabz]

Oh fer cryin’ out loud!

The sky is falling, the sky is falling. These people will do anything, say anything, and use any possible scare tactic they can think of to get support for their ginned up bogus BS (think SHS)..........

BAH - a pox on all of them!

[Gabz]

My post 48 was meant for you as well, sorry :)

[SunkenCiv]

This would help a lot of dieters. ;’)