Transcript:
Americans are bananas.
People cut them into cereals, fry them with pancakes, and then bake them into breads – making bananas one of the most popular fruits in the United States.
But a new study warns that climate change threatens the global banana industry.
Most of the bananas sold in the United States come from Latin American countries such as Costa Rica and Colombia.
With the warmer climate, these countries may no longer be the best place to grow fruit.
Bebber: “Some places like the tropical areas are already very, very hot and are getting hotter.”
Dan Bebber, an ecologist at the University of Exeter in the UK, co-authored the study.
He said adapting by moving the industry to other parts of Latin America can be difficult.
The bananas grown require people to work in banana plantations, water to irrigate banana plants, and ports that transport bananas around the world.
Bebber: “The areas that are most suitable for climate will actually be far away from ports, they may not be provided with irrigation, and they may not be the people working in those areas. … These other factors will limit the industry's ability to adapt.”
Therefore, global warming may bite the banana industry.
Report Credit: Ethan Freedman/Chavobart Digital Media
