Future of tea looks uncertain

Britain could one day live in a world without its favourite drink as tea leaves face new threats from extreme weather in climates conducive to their growth.

The world’s biggest tea-growing countries are among those predicted to be worst hit by extreme weather as global warming continues.

In some areas the availability of suitable space is already beginning to shrink. Kenya is one of the largest producers of tea globally and will see a 25% loss of suitable ground for tea-growing by 2050.

A combination of threats are on the horizon with floods, droughts, extreme storms, and heatwaves all presenting unique issues to farmers.

India, China, and Sri Lanka were also highlighted as major tea producing countries facing a changing climate.

Coffee is also facing similar difficulties with loss of land and changing climates impacting the taste of beans grown at specialist farms.

Cutting emissions today will not stop the global climate from changing immediately, the concentration of gases is too high. Therefore, Christian Aid, producers of this report, are calling for more support to help farmers in poorer countries through the challenging years to come.