Bananas may be toast by 2080, thanks to climate change

Climate crisis is putting bananas at risk: Nearly 60% of banana cultivation areas in Latin America and the Caribbean are projected to be unsuitable for agriculture by 2080 due to climate change, The Guardian reported on Monday, citing a report by Christian Aid. The region — covering Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Colombia — accounts for around 80% of global banana exports and is already battling extreme weather, rising temperatures, and climate-related pests.

Acute climate events pose major threat…: The dominant commercial species of bananas, known as cavendish, needs controlled water levels, no violent storms, and temperatures between 15°C and 35°C, the report adds. Acute disruptions like heat stress or leaf-shredding winds — which are becoming increasingly common due to climate change — undermine the banana species’ ability to photosynthesize and grow.

That’s not all: Climate change is also creating a breeding ground for fungal diseases like the black leaf fungus, which cuts photosynthesis by up to 80%. Another fungal risk comes from the Fusarium tropical race 4 — a globally spreading soil fungus that can wipe out entire cavendish plantations, the report found. Both fungus are supercharged by erratic rainfall, floods, and rising temperatures.