Slashdot Mirror
Climate, Habitat Threaten Wild Coffee Species
An anonymous reader writes "BBC reports that Dr. Aaron Davis of the Royal Botanical Gardens claims 'almost three-quarters of the world's wild coffee species are threatened, as a result of habitat loss and climate change. "Conserving the genetic diversity within this genus has implications for the sustainability of our daily cup, particularly as coffee plantations are highly susceptible to climate change.'"
As found on the warmlist, this isn't the first time climate change has been accused of threatening coffee. Amazing how climate change seems to be the bane of all existence...
"Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny! Free men pull in all sorts of directions" -- Havelock Vetinari
Someday, the people who say this are going to learn how stupid it is.
The USA has never imported oil from Iraq. Not now, not when Saddam was in charge, not before that.
The USA imports less than 10% of its oil from the Middle East. The largest source of imported oil in the USA is that internationally known terrorist hotspot Canada...
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
try this next time you make coffee.
- make sure the equipment is clean; Just rinsing it out isn't enough, everything needs to be washed.
- grind the beans yourself, or buy fresh grounds. Coffee grounds go stale in just a few days.
- use lots of coffee. 2 tablespoons per cup.
- use good tasting water. If you don't like the taste of the water before it becomes coffee, you probably won't like it post brewing.
Increasing the world supply of oil decreases the global price of oil. Since the USA is a net importer, that benefits the USA.
I remember watching a documentary about caffeine and its effects on the brain. At first, it provides a boost to mental alertness, but when consumed on a regular basis, this edge dissapears and caffeine is required to provide your old regular mental alertness. This symptom dissapears after 2-3 weeks of abstinence.
Do what I did, ween yourself off of it, and only consume it when you really need it. This way, caffeine actually gives you a boost rather than bringing you back up to speed. I love the practical applications of relativity.
Until the 1950s, the majority of bananas consumed via expert markets were of the Gros Michel variety. However these were very susceptible to Panama disease. A substitute had to be found and we now mainly eat the Vietnamese Cavendish variety.
Banana monoculture is certainly capable of failing.
Leaving aside the broader question, about which I really don't want to speculate, period, the DOE says you're wrong in your data:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html
and http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm
The US does, in fact (and long has) important oil from Iraq and we get well over 10% of our oil from the Gulf/Middle East at ~15%, approximately what we get from Canada. Which is, to be fair to you, the largest source of US oil.