The Truth About Tea

Seizing the day often starts with a cozy mug of hot, steaming caffeine. Picture this; the winter sun’s rays slant through the coffee shop’s windows, warming your back as you gaze up at the black chalk board perched above the espresso machine and your tattooed barista’s head. The tantalizing options range from the season’s pumpkin pie latté to the shot-in-the-dark undertow to good ol’ black coffee. Today, though, you’re looking for something a little different. 

You’ve read the news and know coffee is linked to climate change, not just as a casualty of changing weather patterns, but as a contributor to the climate crisis itself. The crop that fuels mornings around the world depends on a delicate balance of temperature and rainfall, one that’s rapidly being disrupted. As the planet warms, the regions suitable for growing coffee are shrinking, pests are spreading, and harvests are becoming less reliable. At the same time, coffee farming itself—through deforestation, fertilizer use, and global transport, adds to the very problem threatening its future.

So should we be thinking about drinking tea instead?

Tea is Already Hugely Popular Across the Globe

As one of the most consumed beverages in the world in 2022 — second only to water — tea’s legacy extends back as far as 2700 BCE in ancient China. Legend has it that the second emperor of China, Shen Nung, discovered tea after a stray tea leaf drifted into his cup of hot water after supper. He enjoyed the flavor and the relief it brought his post-meal discomfort. In India, stories recall how the Buddha chewed tea leaves during the fifth year of a seven year sleepless meditation to relieve fatigue.

Since that time, tea (Camellia sinensis orCamellia assamica) has been valued for its therapeutic properties and health benefits. It also quickly became a staple in cultural ceremonies. Buddhist monks brought tea to other parts of Asia, and in Japan, tea was quickly developed into an art form. 

The 16th century Japanese monk Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591 CE) shaped the tea ceremony into the genteel and subdued experience it is today in Japan. Complete with intimate tea rooms, well-groomed gardens, and perfect flower arrangements, the tea ceremony transcended the cup and moved into the world of politics. Warlords and diplomats used the ceremony during political encounters and gifted favored underlings prized porcelain bowls.

European powers taste for tea developed during 15th century colonial expeditions and intercontinental trade.  The two words for tea —  pronounced “te” or “cha” — originate from the same Chinese hieroglyph, and varied from province to province. Thus, the British, Dutch, and Italians who traded with “te” pronouncing provinces adopted the word “te” while Portugal, trading from the port Macau, adopted “cha.” 

Today, tea is a key socioeconomic staple (a primary export a region produces) in countries like China, India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya. It is considered a poverty relief crop, with 60% of global tea output in 2022 coming from smallholder farmers and farming households. 

Unfortunately, tea is also particularly vulnerable to climate change, with its growth, quality, and yield each sensitive to minute changes in temperature, precipitation, and soil health. Climate crises like droughts, heatwaves, and erratic rainfall have disrupted tea production, potentially impacting millions of smallholder farmers across the globe.

And, with an estimated 3.7 billion cups drunk everyday around the world, demand for tea isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. 

The Matcha Meltdown

Everyone’s favorite punch of powdered green tea isn’t an exception. As demand skyrockets in places like the United States, Germany, and Dubai, suppliers are struggling to keep up. Tencha — the tea leaves which are processed into matcha — withers under extreme heat conditions, damaging bushes and weakening yields. Hotter weather also means increased risks of fungal and bacterial infections and disease.

In Japan’s Kyoto region, a region which accounts for a quarter of the nation’s high quality tencha production, yields dropped considerably, with one farmer, Masahiro Yoshida noting his 2024 summer yield had shrunk by 25%.

Rescuing Rooibos

As the national beverage of South Africa, rooibos tea holds cultural significance. In 2021, the European Union registered rooibos in the protected designation of origin (PDO) register, meaning only rooibos grown in the Cederberg region can be legally called rooibos. Yet, as climate change alters the Cederberg region’s local climate, rooibos may not be able to adapt. The plant’s ecological specificity and superficial root system make it especially vulnerable to climate change. And, without the Cederberg region, rooibos, at least under EU legal status, may go extinct.

Rich, nutty South-African rooibos is also a battleground for the environment. Grown exclusively in the Cederberg region of South-Africa, this tea is extremely sensitive to its environment, requiring acid sand soil and a narrow range of climate conditions. A 2025 study observed rooibos’ vulnerability to climate change, noting that warmer weather conditions led to unusually high rainfall and water-logged soil,  conditions which may lead to mortality in rooibos plants. Low rainfall also impacts rooibos, in 2023 alone, harvest volume dropped by 17% due to reduced rainfall. 

How Can You Help?

Modern cultivation practices tend to value short-term yield over long-term ecological health, straining the environment. Poor tea farming contributes to water pollution, soil erosion, and disrupts local ecosystems. 

But tea cultivation can be achieved sustainably and you don’t have to be a tea farmer to contribute. Buying organic teas bypasses pesticides and harmful synthetic chemicals which pollute the soil and supporting fair trade tea goes hand-in-hand with promoting ethical environmental practices. By empowering tea workers with fair wages, safe working conditions, and social benefits, tea-growing communities are positioned to become stewards of the land. 

For the everyday consumer, choosing ethically sourced and environmentally friendly tea matters. People and the planet are interconnected, and in supporting one another, we all move towards a more just future. Changing our habits means investing in our planet — taking those critical steps towards a brighter, tea-infused tomorrow. 

And hey, if coffee’s still more your vibe, I’ve got just the ethical coffee article for you.

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