5 foods that may go extinct due to climate change

Bengal's 'nolen gur' is in short supply, so is Vermont's maple syrup. The impact of climate change is now visible on our favorite food items that were once abundant.

Climate change is changing a lot for us, including what goes on our plate or the menu. Due to the rising changing temperature and weather temperatures on the planet, there are a long list of food items that might be impacted and not be part of our cuisine, sooner than we know.

As a California-based firm that makes the famous Sriracha sauce announced a shortage of its sauce as the chili peppers has been impacted by global warming, here is a look at five food items from around the world that might be gone soon due to the global warming:

Bengal's 'nolen gur' in short supply

West Bengal might not be famous for its winters but its 'nolen gur' or date palm jaggery surely is. Sweets and delicacies made with this jaggery are famous around the world. This liquid jaggery is made from the sap of the date palm and is available for a very short time during winters.

However, Jaynagar in West Bengal that has been famous for the production of this nolen gur since pre-Independence times, says that the sap production has reduced to half in the last 10 years. And the major factor behind the reduction in sap production is the warm temperature that is gradually going up in that region.

The date palm tree requires around 14 degrees Celsius for the optimum quantity of sap to form. But gradual increase in temperature has reduced the accumulation of sap. Between 1980 and 2010, the average maximum temperature recorded at the nearby Canning centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) ranged from 29.9°C in November to 25.8°C in January, while the average minimum temperature ranged from 19.5°C in November to 13.4°C in January, according to a Down to Earth report.

Mexico mega drought behind Sriracha sauce shortage

A staple condiment in the US and around the world, California-based Huy Fong Foods that makes this famous hot sauce have announced that the chili peppers supply has been impacted due to the drought in Mexico, according to a report.

Though Sriracha sauce has Thai origins and comes from the city of Sri Racha in Thailand, the green-capped bottles of this sauce are world famous. The peppers for Huy Fong only grow in southern US and northern Mexico which is hit by mega drought in at least 1,200 years. The drought, exacerbated by climate change, along with two consecutive La Nino events have made the threat looming large over the availability of sriracha sauce.

Coffee gets a hit

Higher-than-average temperatures and shifting weather patterns in the tropics have led to "coffee rust" fungus and invasive species that are impacting coffee plantations. And, to make things worse, a severe drought in Brazil caused prices to skyrocket. Some analysts are predicting that, if the current trends continue, Latin American coffee production could relocate to Asia, says a report in The Guardian.

Latin America isn't the only coffee-producing region facing the impacts of shifting weather patterns. In Africa, coffee growing regions are predicted to fall anywhere from 65 percent to 100 percent the climate warms. In this case, higher temperatures would produce lower yields, said the report.

Maple syrup from Vermont

The golden, pure Vermont maple syrup that the world pours over pancakes and crepes flows from wild grown maple trees unique to the northeast landscape of the United States and eastern Canada. Climate change has raised ocean levels, intensified storm surges, and increased the planet's temperature year by year.

The present scenario is that Vermont is getting warmer and wetter, with temperatures rising 2 degrees Fahrenheit in summers and 4 degrees Fahrenheit in winters. These climate changes directly affect maple syrup because of how sap production works.

Corn produce shrinking

Water shortage and warmer temperature can lead to a huge impact on corn production. According to a report in The Guardian, even a 1 degree Celsius rise in global temperature would slow its growth by 7 per cent. Not only would it impact the produce section of the market but lower production would also impact the livestock, most of which are fed on corn in many parts of the world. So lower corn yield would also translate into lower meat availability.

As per a NASA study published in the journal, Nature Food, climate change may affect the production of maize (corn) as early as 2030 under a greenhouse gas emission scenario and the crop yield is expected to decline by 24 percent.