Chocolate may be extinct by 2050, according to scientists
| Jan 3, 2018, 12:15 IST
When we think 'guilty pleasures', the first thing to pop-up in most of our minds is chocolate. Chocolate is universally loved and cherished. However, a recent study states that chocolate might actually go extinct and yes, in this very lifetime! According to a new study, the Cacao plant is slated to disappear as early as 2050 thanks to warmer temperatures and more arid weather conditions.
Scientists have already teamed up with a leading chocolate company to help save the plant. Researchers are exploring the possibility of using a gene-editing technology called CRISPR to make crops that survive the new weather challenges. They are working towards creating a more resistant version of cacao plants that will survive, and thrive in the dryer, warmer climates. Cacao plants can only grow within a narrow strip of rainforested 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 chocolate now comes from just two countries in West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. However, these areas won't be suitable by 2050 due to rising temperatures and it will push today's chocolate-growing regions more than 1,000 feet uphill into mountainous terrain, much of which is currently preserved for wildlife, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This news saddens us chocolate-aficionados!
Scientists have already teamed up with a leading chocolate company to help save the plant. Researchers are exploring the possibility of using a gene-editing technology called CRISPR to make crops that survive the new weather challenges. They are working towards creating a more resistant version of cacao plants that will survive, and thrive in the dryer, warmer climates. Cacao plants can only grow within a narrow strip of rainforested 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 chocolate now comes from just two countries in West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. However, these areas won't be suitable by 2050 due to rising temperatures and it will push today's chocolate-growing regions more than 1,000 feet uphill into mountainous terrain, much of which is currently preserved for wildlife, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This news saddens us chocolate-aficionados!