The race to save coffee

CENTROAMERICANO, a new variety of coffee plant, hasn’t sparked the buzz of, say, Starbucks’s latest novelty latte. But it may be the coolest thing in brewing: a tree that can withstand the effects of climate change.

Climate change could spell disaster for coffee, a crop that requires specific temperatures to flourish and that is highly sensitive to a range of pests. So scientists are racing to develop more tenacious strains of one of the world’s most beloved beverages.

In addition to Centroamericano, seven other new hybrid varieties are gradually trickling onto the market. And this summer, World Coffee Research ­— an industry-funded nonprofit group — kicked off field tests of 46 new varieties that it says will change coffee-growing as the world knows it.

“Coffee is not ready to adapt to climate change without help,” said Doug Welsh, the vice president and roastmaster of Peet’s Coffee, which has invested in WCR’s research.

Read The Washington Post story by Caitlin Dewey - “The race to save coffee.”

How one city is preparing for extreme heat - with trees

The cool shade of a tree makes a hot day more bearable. But in San Fernando, California, a small city near downtown Los Angeles, that relief is hard to find.

Tree People dedicates five years
of care for each tree it plants.

Montañez: “Not only do you have concrete everywhere, you have very few trees in that community.”

That’s Cindy Montañez of the nonprofit “Tree People.”

She says climate change is making the heat in San Fernando worse. Twenty-five years ago, the city experienced about 50 days a year with temperatures over 95 degrees. That number is likely to double to almost 100 days by mid-century.

Read and listen to the Yale Climate Connections story - “How one city is preparing for extreme heat - with trees.”