Is Every Cup Of Coffee You Drink Destroying The Planet?

Did You Know

Learn about the environmental impact of coffee production and whether your daily cup of joe is contributing to climate change. Get the facts, make an informed decision about whether to continue drinking coffee or not.

500 billion cups of coffee are consumed globally every year. A study shows, in United States the coffee flows like water, drinkers consume roughly 450 million cups a day. The popularity of coffee is undeniable. It’s the second most traded commodity next to crude oil. But there’s something hidden in these massive numbers: a stark split between the geography of coffee consumers and coffee producers. The countries that import the most coffee, like the United States, Germany, and France, are primarily situated in Europe and North America, while the biggest producers are situated in the Global South, with countries like Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia exporting the lion’s share of the world’s coffee. Essentially coffee plantations have sprawled across the majority world to satiate the coffee addiction of the Global North. So, when considering the environmental impact of coffee, it’s not just the visible waste of unnecessary to-go cups that we need to address, it's also the impact that stretches back to--and is indeed centered around.