Bananas can disappear from export shelves by 2080

WORLD:

Climate change could make almost two -thirds of the areas that cultivate bananas in Latin America and the Caribbean inappropriate by 2080, threatening the most consumed fruits in the world, according to a new Christian Aid report.

Increasing temperatures, irregular rainfall, strongest thunderstorms and fungal diseases are already catastrophic yields in key countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia, the report said.

Bananas are a vital source of food and cash cultivation. Worldwide, more than 400 million people rely on fruit for up to 27% of their daily calories.

While 80% of bananas are consumed locally, the vast majority of world exports come from Latin America and the Caribbean – one of the areas exposed to climate ends.

The exhibition, entitled Bananas Bananas: How climate change threatens the world’s favorite fruits, stresses that the climate effects are already felt on the ground.

“Climate change has killed our crops. This means that there is no income because we can’t sell anything,” said Aurelia pop Xo, a 53 -year -old banana farmer in Guatemala. “What is happening is that my plantation has died.”

Bananas, especially the Cavendish variety, are extremely sensitive to climate. They thrive in a narrow temperature range of 15C to 35C and require carefully balanced rainfall.

Excessive water and violent thunderstorms can damage the leaves, weakening the plant’s ability to photo.

The lack of genetic diversity in world banana trade, which largely depends on Cavendish, makes fruits particularly vulnerable to climate -related threats.

Fungal diseases, such as black leaf fungus and Fusarium Wilt, spread faster under changing weather standards, threatening plantations.

Christian aid encourages rich, high emissions to rapidly abolish fossil fuels and provide financial support for adapting to low -income communities that are more affected by climate change.

“Bananas are not just the world’s favorite fruits, they are also a meaningful food for millions of people,” said Osai Ojigho, director of politics and campaigns by Christian Aid.

“The lives and means of living of people who have done nothing to cause climate judgment are already threatening.”