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The cacao tree — from which we get cocoa beans — can only grow within a narrow strip of rain-forested land roughly 20 degrees north and south of the equator, where temperature, rain and humidity all stay relatively constant throughout the year.
Over half of the world’s cocoa now comes from just two countries in West Africa — Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
However, a report by the NOAA said by 2050 rising temperatures are set to push today’s cocoa-growing regions more than 1,000 feet uphill into mountainous terrain — much of which is currently preserved for wildlife.
“The higher temperatures projected for West Africa by 2050 are will not be suitable for the crops because of the lessening humidity around the equator,” it said. “These effects will push the perfect climate for growing cacao into higher and less suitable areas and eventually make it impossible to grow.”
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