As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, so too will the intensity of the storms, warned Hiroyuki Murakami, a climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the study’s lead author. “Climate models all over the world robustly project more favorable conditions for tropical cyclones.”
NZARA COUNTY, South Sudan (AP) — Catherine Bashiama runs her fingers along the branches of the coffee tree she’s raised from a seedling, searching anxiously for its first fruit buds since she planted it three years ago. When she grasps the small cherries, Bashiama beams.The farmer had never grown coffee in her village in western South Sudan, but now hopes a rare, climate-resistant species will help pull her family from poverty. “I want to send my children to school so they can be the future generation,” said Bashiama, a mother of 12.
Catherine Bashiama, a farmer, walks through her coffee plantation that grows excelsa beans near Nzara, South Sudan on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)Catherine Bashiama, a farmer, walks through her coffee plantation that grows excelsa beans near Nzara, South Sudan on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)Discovered more than a century ago in South Sudan, excelsa coffee is exciting cash-strapped locals and drawing interest from the international community amid
. As leading coffee-producing countries struggle to grow crops in drier, less reliable weather, prices have soared to the highest in decades and the industry is scrambling for solutions.Experts say estimates from drought-stricken Brazil, the world’s top coffee grower, are that this year’s harvest could be down by some 12%.
“What history shows us is that sometimes the world doesn’t give you a choice, and right now there are many coffee farmers suffering from climate change that are facing this predicament,” said Aaron Davis, head of coffee research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. Davis and his team have been researching excelsa for almost a decade, and work with excelsa producers in several counties, notably Uganda.
Excelsa could play a key role in adapting.after a nearly three-month Israeli blockade barring all food and supplies from Gaza. Israel has let in a trickle of aid this month for the United Nations to distribute through its networks — nearly 1,000 trucks the past 12 days, the military says, far below the rate even at the highest times during the war when several hundred trucks a day would enter.
Israel says GHF will eventually take over all food distribution, despite opposition from the U.N. and most humanitarian groups.In its first week of operations, GHF’s three distribution sites have been plagued by turmoil.
Palestinians carry boxes and bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)Palestinians carry boxes and bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)