Coffee Under Threat: Scientists Race to Save the World’s Favourite Drink

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published July 1, 2026

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Coffee is no longer just a daily habit. It has become a scientific, economic and climate challenge. A recent report published by Nature on June 30, 2026, warned that coffee plants are increasingly threatened by climate change, pushing researchers around the world to search for ways to protect the future of the crop through breeding, genetic diversity and lesser-known wild coffee species.

The threat does not mean coffee will disappear overnight. It means producing it could become harder, more expensive and less reliable. According to Climate Central, coffee-growing regions are facing more days of damaging heat, affecting both the quality and quantity of harvests. The organization notes that more than two billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every day.

Climate Central’s analysis found that 25 coffee-growing countries, which account for about 97% of global production, all experienced more coffee-harming heat between 2021 and 2025 because of climate change. The top five producers — Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Ethiopia and Indonesia — saw an average of 57 additional harmful-heat days each year.

Arabica, the world’s most valued and widely consumed coffee type, is especially vulnerable. Climate Central says temperatures above 30°C are extremely harmful for arabica plants and are also suboptimal for robusta, the other major commercial coffee species.

In Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, scientists at the Campinas Agronomy Institute are working to develop more resilient coffee varieties. Reuters reported that researchers are experimenting with genetic traits from lesser-known species such as liberica, racemosa and stenophylla to help create arabica plants that can better withstand heat, drought, pests and disease while preserving commercial quality.

But saving coffee is not a quick process. Reuters reported that developing new hybrid coffee varieties can take 20 to 30 years, as scientists must grow cross-bred plants, expose them to harsh conditions, test resistance to pests and disease, and still ensure the final product has the taste and quality consumers expect.

The challenge is made worse by the fact that the global coffee trade depends mainly on just two species: arabica and robusta. Meanwhile, wild coffee species that may hold the genetic keys to coffee’s future are themselves under threat. Research published in Science Advances and highlighted by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, found that 60% of wild coffee species are threatened with extinction because of deforestation, climate change, pests and disease.

That is the central dilemma: scientists may need wild coffee to save commercial coffee, but many of those wild species are disappearing before they can be fully studied. The race to protect coffee is no longer only about flavour or productivity. It is about preserving the genetic diversity that may decide whether future generations can still enjoy a cup of coffee at a reasonable price.