As well as global efforts to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change, Brazilian officials, scientists and farmers are moving to adapt. Eduardo Assad, of the government’s agriculture research institute Embrapa, believes there is considerable potential to move coffee production to the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul. Even so, this would require huge disruption to Brazil’s agriculture, particularly to coffee farmers who usually require 15 to 20 years for a return on their investment. For now, most would rather stay put and use technology and chemicals to cope with rising climate challenges. “We don’t think the weather conditions will improve, so we are trying to adapt to the new climate variation,” he says.

Source: The Guardian January 19, 2017 07:03 UTC