With rising global temperatures, the increased use of dams, and the incredible amount of water consumed by livestock, the issue of water scarcity is becoming more and more prevalent. What most may not know however, is, your daily cup of coffee could be greatly contributing to the problem.
A lot of coffee around the world is grown in direct sun exposure, as opposed to the preffered, shade-grown method. The shade provided by trees allows for much less water to be consumed, preseverves bio diversity, and prevents erosion. Direct sun growth on the other hand, is extremely scarring to the land, and especially hurts developing countries like Ethiopia and Brazil.
Brazil produces about a third of the world's coffee, and they correspondingly suffer from mammoth amounts of deforestation and reductions in biodiversity. In Ethiopia, the country's major water scarcity problems are only excaserbated by their economy's dependence on coffee exports.
Even I rely on my daily cup of coffee to wake me up in the morning, and many studies point to the health benefits of a daily coffee and caffeine in general. The key is to buy locally, and focus on brands that are marked 'fair-trade' and 'shade grown.'
Sources:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sustainable-coffee_n_5175192