As a result of the climate crisis the coffee industry faces significant challenges, particularly the 12.5 million smallholder farmers that produce the majority of the world's coffee. Many of these farmers live below the international poverty line, engaging in gruelling, manual labour. Structural barriers prevent modernisation, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and deepening the economic divide between the global West and developing countries. Climate change only exacerbates this divide, posing an existential threat to global coffee production. It's predicted that by 2050, unchecked climate change could wipe out 50% of the world's coffee-growing regions.

Without substantial global action, temperatures are set to rise beyond 1.5℃, leading to irreversible environmental damage. In Australia, over 6.2 billion cups of coffee are consumed annually, producing more than 117 million kgs of spent coffee grounds, with 93% ending up in landfills and emitting significant greenhouse gases. Globally, food waste contributes to eight percent of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the third largest emitter if it were a country. These intertwined problems highlight the urgent need for systemic changes in the coffee industry and global climate policies.