When people talk about climate change things like weather, temperature, and environment generally come to mind, but it actually affects a lot more than that. While in Costa Rica we witnessed how climate change affects the flowering patterns of crops. This phenomenon is known as “flora loca.” Flora loca is when crops flower when they’re not really supposed to. While in Costa Rica we saw coffee plants flowering out of the normal coffee season. This might not sound like a big deal, but it really is. The economy depends upon this set cycle of harvesting that hasn’t changed for years. The yields of coffee or any other agricultural product aren’t as big at one time because the plants are flowering at different times. Also, it makes it more difficult to get hired help to work the fields for a set amount of time. We were able to see evidence of this problem in the plants and with people we talked to. Climate change is not just an environmental problem, but also a social one.
(written by Abby Householder)
