Monday, December 14, 2009

Guatemala High on Climate Change List

With the United Nations Climate Change Talks going on in Copenhagen this week, the news has been saturated with articles and programs about climate change and its potential impacts. A recent article in The Prensa Libre, Guatemala’s national daily, blared “Guatemala está en riesgo por cambio climático,” or “Guatemala at Risk for Climate Change” (link in Spanish).

According to the United Nations, Guatemala is among the top ten countries that could be affected most by extreme weather caused by climate change. Afghanistan, Macedonia, Armenia, Belize, Cambodia, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Comoros along with Guatemala are the countries most threatened by hurricanes, droughts, floods and elevated temperatures.

Articles from the Minnesota Post and Guardian, cite that coffee farmers are already being forced to higher altitudes to find the temperatures necessary for cultivating coffee. (Please read “Climate change causing havoc to coffee and tea farmers, says Cafédirect” The Guardian and “Will coffee prices climb with climate change?” The Minnesota Post)

Around the world there will be millions of families affected by increasingly extreme weather patterns and the discussion of sustainability will likely change from simply providing a fair price to how to ensure that families have a way to survive. Coffee Kids is working to provide alternatives that provide for more consistent year round income. The programs we support don’t change the weather, but will help families confront to potential effects of climate change.

We currently support four organizations in Guatemala. The projects range from pre- and post-natal care for women, to permaculture and biodiesel, to microcredit and small business projects. Read more about our efforts in Guatemala here.