Obviously, climate change has some incredibly serious implications for our planet and for the future generations of humans who may or may not want to live on it. According to NASA, higher sea levels, droughts, and heat waves are all lovely events we can look forward to over the next century thanks to changing climates [1]. Yet, for some reason all of these doomsday scenarios can often feel distant and ethereal, as if they don\u2019t really apply to \u201cus\u201d, but rather to some nameless, faceless generation who will succeed us (even if this is wildly inaccurate and the effects of climate change are happening as we speak [2]). <\/span><\/p>\n So it\u2019s not until something we take for granted, something we interact with every day and don\u2019t even realize how much we love, something like Chipotle\u2019s guacamole, is threatened that we sit up and take notice. But wait a minute, what does climate change have to do with Chipotle and guacamole? Let\u2019s dig in and make sure we get the full scoop (pun most certainly intended)<\/span><\/p>\n Chipotle\u2019s announcement<\/b><\/p>\n In their annual 10-k filing with the SEC in 2014, Chipotle listed some of their perceived risks of running a restaurant business. Specifically, they mentioned [3]:<\/span><\/p>\n Increasing weather volatility or other long-term changes in global weather patterns, including any changes associated with global climate change, could have a significant impact on the price or availability of some of our ingredients […] in the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole […]<\/span><\/p>\n Climate change and guacamole<\/b><\/p>\n But how exactly could climate change lead to the higher avocado prices Chipotle was worried about? Well, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ran studies to assess the potential impact of changing temperatures and precipitation on various crops in California, like the avocados that make up guacamole [4]. For instance, they simulated temperature increases between two to four degrees celsius, and what they found was that such changes could reduce avocado crop yields by 40% [4]. With a reduction in yield, it\u2019s not hard to imagine an increase in prices and decrease in availability. Indeed, the price of a single avocado increased 46% in just the last year [5]. So it\u2019s not crazy to think that could have an impact on Chipotle\u2019s ability to continue serving the beloved guacamole.<\/span><\/p>\n Chipotle\u2019s options<\/b><\/p>\n As of now, Chipotle seems to be downplaying the chances of a guacamole nightmare, saying they have no plans to make any changes to their offering [6]. In other words, there\u2019s no specific public action they\u2019re taking to mitigate the risk right now. But while they may be telling guacamole fans to rest easy in the near term, what steps can Chipotle take to protect their guacamole interests long term?<\/span><\/p>\n Obviously, they can encourage their growers to use more sustainable methods, but it\u2019s not clear that this would be an effective or feasible strategy. Instead, Chipotle should tackle the bigger picture and use their unique position to make a stand against climate change. It\u2019s really hard to get people to care about global warming. (If you\u2019re in doubt about this, just ask former US Vice President Al Gore). So it\u2019s rare that a news story on climate change can galvanize a population of people. And yet that\u2019s exactly what happened with Chipotle and their guacamole scare [6,7,8]. Indeed, the controversy even inspired hash tags to \u201c#fixtheclimate\u201d and \u201c#savetheguac:<\/span><\/p>\n Chipotle is in a unique position to capitalize on their place in the cultural zeitgeist and on the diehard devotion of their fans in order to have a meaningful impact. They can educate consumers on the consequences of climate change (beyond guacamole), teach them how to make small differences in their own daily lives, and motivate them to demand change from their lawmakers en masse. Indeed, the impetus for a large scale response to the perils of climate change doesn\u2019t need to come from a doomsday story (as accurate as that story might be). No, the necessary inspiration can just as effectively come from the fear of losing something as seemingly trivial as guacamole.<\/span><\/p>\n Word count – 777<\/span><\/p>\n Sources: <\/span><\/p>\n [1] \u201cThe Consequences of Climate Change.\u201d NASA, NASA, <\/span>http:\/\/climate.nasa.gov\/effects\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n [2] Cama, Timothy. \u201cKerry: Climate Change \u2018Not a Distant Threat.\u2019\u201d Kerry: Climate Change \u2018Not a Distant Threat,\u2019 The Hill, 31 Aug. 2015, \u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/energy-environment\/252364-kerry-climate-change-not-a-distant-threat<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n [3] \u201cSEC Filings.\u201d Chipotle Investor Relations -, 5 Feb. 2014, <\/span>http:\/\/ir.chipotle.com\/phoenix.zhtml?c=194775&p=irol-SECText&TEXT=aHR0cDovL2FwaS50ZW5rd2l6YXJkLmNvbS9maWxpbmcueG1sP2lwYWdlPTkzNjIzNTImRFNFUT0wJlNFUT0wJlNRREVTQz1TRUNUSU9OX0VOVElSRSZzdWJzaWQ9NTc%3d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n [4] \u201cRise in California Temperatures Likely to Affect Crops.\u201d EurekAlert!, 4 Dec. 2006, <\/span>www.eurekalert.org\/pub_releases\/2006-12\/dlnl-ric120406.php<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n [5] Chamlee, Virginia. \u201cWhat Do Skyrocketing Avocado Prices Mean for the Nation’s Guacamole Supply?\u201d Eater, 25 July 2016, ] <\/span>http:\/\/www.eater.com\/2016\/7\/25\/12270508\/avocado-prices-chipotle-guacamole<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n [6] Complex. \u201cFact: No One Cared about Global Warming until Chipotle’s Guac Supply Was in Jeopardy. Http:\/\/T.co\/67kBxT83EP.\u201d Twitter, Twitter, 5 Mar. 2014, <\/span>https:\/\/twitter.com\/complexmag\/status\/441276976415145984<\/span><\/a>4.<\/span><\/p>\n [7] Huntsman, Liddy. \u201cIt’s up to Us, America. We Need to Save the Guacamole at @Chipotle. #Fixtheclimate #Savetheguac.\u201d Twitter, Twitter, 5 Mar. 2014, <\/span>https:\/\/twitter.com\/HuntsmanLiddy\/status\/441215988240244736<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n![\"guac-complex\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/guac-complex-300x134.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"guac\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/guac-300x133.png\")
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