The plant at the heart of the cocaine trade has survived decades of efforts to eradicate it. What’s a little global warming going to do?
Few cry for the cocaleros.
Cocaine is the bane of law enforcement across the Americas. But both the drug and the coca farmers – known in Spanish as cocaleros– who cultivate the drug’s source face the same threats as any other crop or product in our warming climate.
Except that cocaine appears ready for the challenges.
Charles Helling, a former USDA soil chemist, examines a coca plants in South America. Courtesy of Charles Helling
