Sound the Alarm! Global Coffee Production Is at Risk of Extinction

Coffee addicts of the world, brace yourselves.

Sixty percent of coffee species found in the wild could soon go extinct, a new study says. The worst part—we humans are largely to blame. Climate change, deforestation, droughts and plant diseases are the main factors putting the future of coffee at risk, CNN reports.

The recent study was conducted by researchers at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in the UK and published in Science Advances.

The problem is coffee plants are struggling to grow in their current environments. The plants require a very specific habitat, and the effects of climate change—rising temperatures and increased rainfall—are making it harder for the plants to survive.

Out that of 124 types of wild coffee, an alarming 75 are at risk of extinction, according to the study. Making matters worse, about 35 of all of the species grow in areas with no conservation protections.

Ready for the real bombshell?

“Some [coffee species] could be extinct in 10 to 20 years, particularly with the added influence of climate change,” senior researcher Aaron Davis tells CNN.

And, arabica, the most popular type of coffee for commercial production, is already on the endangered species list.

If you haven’t already guessed, this will really affect your daily coffee intake. Less coffee crops could mean a price hike for your sacred morning cup. And if that’s not enough to make your hair curl, it may not taste as good either.

Researchers say the only way to truy salvage the coffee crops is by conserving existing wild coffee species to preserve their remaining genetic diversity.

Coffee makes lots of parents happy (and functioning!), which is why the report is super-alarming for many moms and dads. Let’s be better to the environment so we can, in turn, be better to ourselves.