Day of the Two Daughters

Food prices are a very tangible way to demonstrate the effects of climate change. For example, a warming climate plus fruit-borne disease and extreme weather events are affecting orange-producing regions in Brazil and Florida, curbing harvests and driving up citrus prices. Orange production plummeted 92% in 20 years in Florida due to freezes, hurricanes and disease

A USDA forecast last year said the Florida orange crop would be the lowest since 1935 — nearly 90 years ago. The average retail price of orange juice frozen concentrate in the U.S. spiked to an all-time high in April — $4.28 per 16 ounces, up from $3.01 a year ago. The global price of oranges is $3.68 per pound for April this year, up from $2.76 per pound a year ago

A wide range of commodities, including sugar, cocoa and coffee, are being hit by forces that have sent up prices worldwide. Oranges are one of the most popular fruits in America and join the list of everyday prices frustrating consumers and clouding their perceptions of the economy. 

Meanwhile, bananas. The price of bananas is increasing as climate change is pushing temperatures above the optimal range for banana growth. The Cavendish banana, or as you probably know it, "the banana," is in danger of extinction due to a fungus called Panama disease Tropical Race 4 (TR4). First detected in 1990 in Taiwan, it has spread to more than 20 banana-producing countries – including those in Central and South America. TR-4 attacks banana trees at the roots, killing the fruit. Fungicides and other chemicals can't kill it, so farmers have few options when it invades their crop. Once farmland has been hit with TR4, it can cause complete yield loss. 

There are more than 1,000 varieties of bananas, but the Cavendish is far and away the most common. It's probable that every banana you've ever seen and eaten was a Cavendish. But forecasts predict the extinction of the Cavendish within 10 years as TR-4 spreads.