Cocoa And The Chocolate-y Affair Leaving A Bitter Environmental Impact
Have we all not wished for that Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory? And, when Lupin handed Harry a large bar of chocolate after a nasty encounter with the Dementors, oh, how we wished to have one ourselves!
But, our bittersweet affair with chocolates is casting a darker shade on the environment around us that we are hardly aware of!
Chocolate And The Bitter Environmental Aftertaste
While we are gorging on our favourite variety of chocolate, unknown to most of us, the environment is paying a steep price, yet again!
It has almost become a norm that with every human consumption there comes one or the other effect on the environment. And, even chocolates are not spared.
Cocoa, the key ingredient for chocolate, isn’t as readily available as many of us might think. Even though there are major plantations, it takes a complete year for a tree to produce enough cocoa for merely producing half pound chocolate. And, with the threat of climate change increasing the overall temperature and bringing longer dry spells resulting in droughts in the West African region, which currently supplies approximately 70% of cocoa beans globally, we might be seeing a lot less production of chocolates in the years to come.
Vanishing Forests Into That Bar Of Chocolate!
For West Africa, there’s a problem to combat — that of deforestation. Cocoa is a cash crop, and cultivators are cutting and burning down tropical forests in order to make space for cocoa tree plantations, instead of reusing the already used lands. As per estimate, 70% of illegal deforestation is directly associated with cocoa plantations.
Carbon Footprint Isn’t Always Black — It’s Chocolate Too
Ignorance is indeed bliss! Well, at least for those who just can’t live without biting down on a bar of chocolate. Because, truth be told, that bar of chocolate has a greater carbon footprint that anyone among us remotely concerned about the environment will be okay with!
Milk used within the chocolates are coming from the dairy farms, the ones with methane guzzling cattles contributing to the greenhouse emission. And, if that wasn’t all, farmers burning down forests are doubling the carbon footprint by reducing forest cover and increasing CO2 emissions.
As per the researchers from the University of Manchester in the UK, the chocolate industry in the UK alone gives out 2.1 Mn tonnes of greenhouse gases annually!
“Water Water Everywhere Nor Any Drop To Drink”
The impact of the immortal line from the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is hitting us after almost two centuries since penned down! With the probability of the next World War being fought over drinkable water, the fact that it takes over 1,000 Ltr of water to produce merely one bar of chocolate, definitely doesn’t look too good!
Chocolate Packaging Isn’t Green
Have you ever looked at the chocolate wrapper before ripping it off and beginning to gorge? Chances are you never gave it a second thought! However, that’s something you should! Most of the chocolates we are consuming today come in plastic wrapper. Imagine the current situation with plastic pollution to put things in perspective. Moreover, those paper wraps are not always green as well!
You Need Not Give Up Chocolates Though
Even though there are a few unwanted impacts ongoing, we need not start worrying about completely giving up on the chocolates yet!
Mars, the candy company, has mapped the entire cocoa genome, and resulted in creating variants of the cocoa trees that are 3 to 4 times more productive as compared to the variants available in West Africa, and also more resistant to climate change.
Organizations such as WWF (World Wildlife Foundation) are working with the farmers to make them adopt more sustainable practices, reuse the cultivated lands, eliminate child labour, and bring them out of poverty.
The Rainforest Alliance Certification is aimed at ensuring prevention of deforestation for the plantations and encouraging sustainable farming practices.
Fairtrade is yet another certification scheme that aims towards making sure that the producers of this growing business gives back from the profit beyond fair trade rates in order to improve the primary agricultural business through reinvestment. This benefits farmers and helps them adopt more sustainable practices, better equipment, improved infrastructure, and overall better environmental impact.
With little help and awareness the organizations will indeed bring about a sweet change, as we enjoy our chocolate without guilt or worry!
