Researchers have indicated that climate change has led to extended stretches of damaging heat for crops in West Africa, an area contributing roughly 70 percent of the global cacao supply.

This has negatively impacted yields and is expected to contribute to rising cocoa prices, according to a report from the independent research organization Climate Central.

In recent years, farmers in major cacao-producing nations such as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria have encountered difficulties due to increasing temperatures, disease outbreaks, and unusual rainfall patterns, all of which have led to reduced production.

The research found that climate change, primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and methane, is causing more frequent high temperatures in Ivory Coast and Ghana, which are the top cacao producers in the world.

By combining observational data from 44 cacao-growing regions across West Africa with computer simulations, the researchers compared current temperature trends to a hypothetical scenario without the effects of climate change.

They evaluated how often temperatures exceeded 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit), a threshold detrimental to cacao tree growth.

Over the past ten years, the analysis revealed that climate change has increased the duration of weeks with temperatures above 32C in Ivory Coast and Ghana during the vital growing season from October to March by about three weeks.

Last year, recorded as the hottest globally, temperatures surpassed 32C for at least 42 days across two-thirds of the regions studied.

The researchers voiced concerns that extreme heat may adversely affect the quantity and quality of cacao yields.

Alongside climate-related obstacles, the study also pointed out challenges such as mealybug infestations, shifting rainfall patterns, and socio-economic issues like smuggling and illicit mining that complicate the production environment.

On the same day Climate Central released its findings, Christian Aid published a report highlighting the vulnerabilities faced by cacao and chocolate farmers as a result of climate-driven weather changes.

The organization observed that conditions in West Africa have fluctuated between severe rainfall, leading to crop damage during the dry season of 2023, and expected droughts in 2024.

Osai Ojigho, director of policy and public campaigns at Christian Aid, stated that cocoa farming is a vital source of livelihood for many of the world's poorest people, which is seriously endangered by climate change intensifying due to human actions.

After poor harvests, cocoa prices on commodity exchanges in London and New York have soared since late 2023, with current prices in New York surpassing $10,000 per tonne, down from a peak of over $12,500 in mid-December.

Historically, cocoa prices in New York have ranged between $2,000 and $3,000 per tonne for many years.

In response to rising cocoa costs, Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli announced it would raise prices again in 2024.

Narcisa Pricope, a professor at Mississippi State University, described the situation as an 'existential threat' to cacao crops, mainly due to intensifying arid conditions in the growing regions.

She participated in a recent study by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification that found over 75 percent of the Earth's land has seen drying trends in the last 30 years.

Pricope explained that while greenhouse gas emissions are the leading cause of this aridity, inappropriate land use and degradation also significantly contribute.

She emphasized that collaborative efforts to counter desertification and aridity extend beyond merely preserving chocolate, highlighting the urgent need to sustain the planet's ability to support all forms of life.