A world without chocolate is unimaginable. But there was digital chaos when an article based on research data was published in 2017, claiming "chocolate is on track to go extinct in 40 years." That was the headline and naturally created panic among chocolate lovers. But before you start stockpiling on your chocolate bars, it's worth giving the actual research another read.
The Claim
A 2017 article had put out an alarming headline for an article that sent out a wave of distress across the world. The possibility of chocolate going extinct in the next 4 decades triggered panic just as it did three years ago. Now, netizens are digging into the digital space to give a fresh lease of life to an old article about chocolate extinction.
The article linked the adverse effects of climate change on the world's cocoa-producing countries. Drawing a rushed conclusion, the article said, "Cacao plants are slated to disappear by as early as 2050 thanks to warmer temperatures and dryer weather conditions."
Naturally, without Cacao plants, production of chocolate takes a hit. The biggest producers of Cocoa plants are in West Africa — Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.
"Over half of the world's chocolate now comes from just two countries in West Africa — Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. But those areas won't be suitable for chocolate in the next few decades. By 2050, rising temperatures will push today's chocolate-growing regions more than 1,000 feet uphill into mountainous terrain — much of which is currently preserved for wildlife, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration," the article summarised a 2014 report.
Naturally, panic was sensed across the world and netizens were starting to visualise a world without chocolate.
Fact check
As an old article started making the rounds on social media, causing panic, International Business Times reviewed the claim as it was conveyed. Upon search, Snopes had debunked the claim of extinction of chocolate in years to come. Citing a 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability report, it was clear that there was no reason to panic.
The climate change would result in "considerable reduction in [suitable growing] area" for cocoa production in Ghana and an "almost total elimination [of suitable growing area] in Ivory Coast." Even so, there are other countries in the world capable of growing cocoa, Australia for instance. Despite the climate change threat to cocoa production in Ghana, other countries will likely pitch in to fill the void in the decades to come. More than the concert of chocolate's extinction, one might have to worry about how much it would cost in the future.
