‘What has been happening is death’

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

‘What has been happening is death’

A new report suggests the future viability of the world’s most popular fruit could be in serious jeopardy, according to

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

The report, appropriately titled

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, was commissioned by Christian Aid and found that by 2080, there could be a 60% reduction in the area suitable for bananas grown for exports.

What’s happening?

There are many banana varieties, but

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

sold to developed nations are Cavendish. These are chosen for their high yields, long shelf life, distinctive coloring, and taste. Because the global market is so heavily dependent on a single variant, Cavendish bananas are particularly vulnerable to warming temperatures, extreme weather, and disease.

The authors of the report spoke to several banana farmers, including Aurelia, 53, from Guatemala,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

: “What is happening is that my plantation has been dying. So, what has been happening is death. Death to my crops.”

The Cavendish can be grown between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius and is sensitive to water shortages and flooding. Rising temperatures caused by pollution from dirty energy sources result in more frequent and severe extreme weather events that can destroy crop yields. Warmer temperatures also make

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

more widespread.

Bananas as a crop were nearly wiped out in the 1950s by

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, per Time, and the Cavendish became successful because it was a variety of banana more resistant to it, but it’s hardly inconceivable that a new variant of Panama disease could emerge.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Why are bananas important?

Bananas are a key cash crop and food source for millions across the Caribbean and Latin America. Eighty percent

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

come from this area. Additionally, 400 million people rely on bananas for a substantial portion of their daily calories.

What makes the problem so tragic is that the people on the sharp edge of the crisis had so little to do with creating it. For example, Guatemala is the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

producer of bananas worldwide, per World Population Review, but is responsible for just

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

of the world’s harmful pollution, according to Worldometer.

As Osai Ojigho, Christian Aid’s director of policy and campaigns, told

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, “The lives and livelihoods of people who have done nothing to cause the climate crisis are already under threat.”

What’s being done to protect bananas?

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

calls for a multifaceted approach to mitigating the future crisis. The first is reducing global pollution. The second is providing targeted support for farmers and transitioning to more just and sustainable food systems.

Individuals can also help by

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, being aware of

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, and supporting

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Join our

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don’t miss

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#happening #death

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up