Climate change threatens tequila and mezcal production

It seems that the days when the best sides led by tequila, margarita and shots with lemon and salt, as the production of this liqueur is threatened by climate change.

Because of this ecological crisis, bats, the vital pollinators of the agave plant from which the drink is made, have become endangered. The issue comes in a context where the aforementioned beverages have grown significantly in the past year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. USA.

What crisis is going on?

According to scientific studies, the water scarcity crisis will continue to put pressure on food production. Added to this is overgrazing and other human activities that are changing the distribution and cultivation of land. agavethe main ingredient in tequila.

“Agave is a desert plant, so of course anything that gets into this desert climate will help this culture thrive,” Goswami told CNN. “But, unfortunately, the impact of climate is not linear. This does not mean that as temperatures rise, this will continue.”

What about animals that pollinate agave?

Not only the plant is under threat, but also key pollinators such as bees, butterflies and bats, which pollinate at least 30% of the food on our table.

“We wouldn’t have tequila if we didn’t have bats because they are the only thing that pollinates the agave that makes tequila,” Ron Magill, Miami Zoo director of communications and wildlife expert, told CNN.

There are hundreds of varieties of agave, but only one, the Blue Weber agave, produces tequila. Other species of agave have been abandoned in Mexico and in the desert regions of the southwestern United States. By law, to be considered authentic “tequila”, aguardiente must come from the tequila region of Mexico. Otherwise, agave drinks made in places like California can only be labeled as agave liquor.

The high demand for agave decoction, scientists told CNN, makes it easy for farmers to fall into monoculture practices, in which they reuse the same soil to grow a single plant, resulting in a loss of genetic diversity. This includes places like California where farmers don’t rely on outside pollinators like bats to grow agave. (According to CNC)