Environmental (Commonwealth Union)_ The global banana industry, responsible for feeding millions and sustaining economies across Latin America and the Caribbean, is on the brink of crisis as the worsening climate emergency threatens to wipe out more than half of the region’s most productive banana-growing areas by 2080.
According to a sobering new report by international development charity Christian Aid, climate change poses an escalating threat to banana production, a crop that 400 million people depend on for a significant portion of their daily calories. The looming challenge is not just about losing a popular supermarket staple; it’s a matter of livelihoods, food security, and ecological stability.
The report warns that 60% of the most suitable banana-producing land in Latin America and the Caribbean, which currently supply 80% of the world’s bananas, may become unviable by the end of the century due to rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and extreme weather events.
“Climate change is impacting banana farmers around the world, who are battling daily with unpredictable weather patterns, scorching sun, floods, hurricanes, and increased pests and diseases,” says Anna Pierides, senior sustainable sourcing manager for bananas at the Fairtrade Foundation.
For smallholder farmers like Aurelia Pop Xo, a 53-year-old grower from Guatemala, the crisis is not a distant threat; it is already devastating.
“My plantation has been dying. There’s no income, because we cannot sell anything,” she laments. “What was once predicted for the future is happening now.”
Bananas thrive in a narrow temperature range (15–35°C) and are highly sensitive to water stress. The changing climate not only scorches leaves and stunts photosynthesis but also accelerates the spread of Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a deadly soil-borne fungus that attacks the roots and has already ravaged plantations in Colombia, Peru, and other key supplier nations.
“This is a global wake-up call,” warns Holly Woodward-Davey, project coordinator at Banana Link.
“If systemic change isn’t made soon, we risk losing the Cavendish banana entirely. TR4 is no longer a threat limited to one region it’s moving across continents.”
The Cavendish banana, the variety most familiar to global consumers, accounts for nearly all exports and is grown from identical clones, making it genetically uniform and highly vulnerable to disease. This variety became dominant in the 1950s after its predecessor, Gros Michel, was virtually wiped out by a similar fungal disease.
Despite its commercial popularity, the Cavendish is no longer resilient enough to withstand the mounting challenges of the 21st century.
Christian Aid and food campaigners are calling for a multi-level response. Wealthier, high-emitting nations must urgently reduce carbon output and fulfill their obligations under the Paris Agreement, including the submission of enhanced climate action plans this year. These plans must prioritize both emission cuts and climate finance to help vulnerable communities adapt. Technologies that are capable of capturing carbon emissions have been widely explored by researchers over the last few decades.
“There’s a real opportunity for countries to accelerate a shift to clean energy and channel vital funds to the people who need it most,” says Osai Ojigho, director of policy and campaigns at Christian Aid. “World leaders must not falter.”
At the grassroots level, we are also urging consumers to contribute. Buying Fairtrade bananas helps ensure that growers receive a fair price and are better equipped to cope with rising costs and climate risks.
“The UK eats more bananas per person than almost any country in Europe,” Pierides notes. “But the low prices in supermarkets often come at the expense of those growing them. We need to rethink how we value this fruit.”
In addition, buying organic bananas supports sustainable practices and reduces the environmental toll of chemical fertilisers, which contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and ecosystem degradation.
“Industrial food systems, with their reliance on synthetic inputs, are failing under the pressure of climate and biodiversity crises,” Woodward-Davey adds. “It’s time for a transformation.”
From colonial-era greenhouses in England to the tropical farms of Guatemala, the story of the banana is one of global interconnectedness. But as the climate crisis deepens, the survival of the world’s favorite fruit and those who depend on it is at a turning point.
