Mankind faces worst crisis in human history

[Gravlen]

The world will officially run out [of chocolate] on October 2, 2020.

A world without chocolate?! It's unthinkable! This calls for government intervention and private action immediately! If this isn't a wake-up call I don't know what is!

Industry experts met in London last week to discuss the impending meltdown.

Confectionery giants revealed there are just not enough cocoa plantations across the globe to feed the demand.

They warned we would need the ­equivalent of another planet Earth to fill the gap needed to keep the chocolate ­industry going.

Prices are set to soar over the next few years as chocolate becomes harder to get hold of.

As a result many big-name ­companies are ­expected to fill bars that are smaller in size with more nuts and fruit because they are cheaper to produce.

Chocolate taster and expert Angus Kennedy said: “There will be a chocolate shortage and there isn’t a solution to the problem. Seven years is what we think we have left.

“Experts have worked out we need 2.3 globes to accommodate man’s needs for chocolate in terms of forestry and space.

“We need another Earth basically if we carry on at this rate. We are ­destroying the whole thing.

“The problem we’ve got is that much of the space that was used for cocoa ­plantations is no longer there.

“The Chinese love their cars and they have found that rubber makes more money than cocoa and at a much quicker pace.

“Cocoa farms are being chopped down and turned into rubber ­plantations because they get a ­better yield.

“If you plant a cocoa plant you get cocoa beans in four years, which means the farmers are ­waiting four years for a profit so ­obviously they think ‘What is the point?'”

Manufacturers from all over the world including Iran, Belgium, Lebanon, Germany and Switzerland met at the British Library last week for the annual Chocolate Industry Network Conference where they heard the worrying news.

Mr Kennedy said: “There is a small amount of growth projected for cocoa consumption in Europe and America but in China and Asia it is set to go sky high.

“Also cocoa is being used in everything from bakeries to body creams to sprinkles for coffee. It is a very popular ­product.

“Unless more trees are planted this will happen.

“What we will see is a higher price for cocoa powder and, in turn, chocolate. The price for bars will go up over the next few years. You will see less ­ chocolate in the bars.

“There will be smaller bars, more ­biscuits, more raisins, more nuts ­because they are cheaper to fill space with.

“Bars will probably be filled with a lot more sugar as well because it is the cheapest ingredient to bulk out the cocoa.”

He added: “It is going to be very ­different from the chocolate we know and love today.”

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/343229/We-ll-run-out-of-cocoa-in-just-SEVEN-years

I cannot imagine that this will come to pass, but it does show that our resources are being spread thin. We can't expect to have access to all of the things we take for granted today in 20 - 30 years, at least not for the prices we're used to. Even access to clean drinking water may become an issue for some of us in the future.

What do you fear will disappear or turn disproportionately expensive in the coming years? What do you see changing? Would you want live in a world without chocolate? (If all you have access to is Hershey's, you already live in that particular nightmare scenario.)

[Blasveck]

Is the source reliable?

[Lordieth]

Are they just basing this on future demand against current production?

Supply and demand. The article even points out chocolate prices will rise - when demand increases, so will supply. We're not going to run out of Chocolate.

[Immoren]

Woe the poor mankind if this is to be true.
Now we are fighting over oil fields. In the future we shall be fighting over cocoa plantations and stores.
It'll be Fallout all over man!

[Lordieth]

Woe the poor mankind if this is to be true.
Now we are fighting over oil fields. In the future we shall be fighting over cocoa plantations and stores.
It'll be Fallout all over man!

I think the worst hit by this will be fighting for what they always fight for.

Breath.

[Gravlen]

Woe the poor mankind if this is to be true.
Now we are fighting over oil fields. In the future we shall be fighting over cocoa plantations and stores.
It'll be Fallout all over man!

Fallout: New Belgian Chocolate. The most savage one yet!

[Mad hatters in jeans]

I told you guys what would happen if you didn't free chocolate but did you listen?

DID YOU?

[Ifreann]

Well, I'm out. When's the next shuttle to Mars, they're bound to have chocolate.

[Blekksprutia]

It's time to find a new, life-supporting planet that we can colonize and slowly destroy the way that we're slowly destroying Earth. I nominate "Planet Replacement" for its name.

[Souseiseki]

Is the source reliable?

eh. basically a newspaper/pornmag run by pornbaron, not really known for its stellar reporting.

[Blekksprutia]

But seriously, there's a real easy solution to this: plant more trees. Is that so hard, Earth?

[Shamhnan Insir]

I'm no sure. Chocolate is nice but I don't tend to eat much of it. What worries me more is cheese which to my mind has become ridiculously expensive in recent years.

[Blekksprutia]

Is the source reliable?

Doesn't matter, it's also here:
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/236410 ... oa-by-2020
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/wor ... 82024.html
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/1899859/r ... ber-2-2020
http://gizmodo.com/5685499/were-running ... -chocolate
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/choco ... 0/1179482/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -2014.html (haha)
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2 ... alysts-say

[Pacifornia]

America must "free" third world countries in order to get that rich chocolatey chocolate

[Blekksprutia]

I'm no sure. Chocolate is nice but I don't tend to eat much of it. What worries me more is cheese which to my mind has become ridiculously expensive in recent years.

Dark chocolate and Taleggio cheese is my life.

[Blekksprutia]

America must "free" third world countries in order to get that rich chocolatey chocolate

We must "free" the nearest life sustaining planet, fool! Screw this one! We will gather Earth's rich white straight men and viable women and use the rest of our oil to rocket us to another planet so we can burn it to the ground as well! It is a foolproof solution!

[Italionia]

Dinkleberg.....

[Fascist Russian Empire]

NOOOOOO!

Time to start a band of intergalactic pirates and steal chocolate from other planets.

[Bering]

It's time to find a new, life-supporting planet that we can colonize and slowly destroy the way that we're slowly destroying Earth. I nominate "Planet Replacement" for its name.

No, Planet Chocolate, to handle all our chocolate related needs

[Blekksprutia]

It's time to find a new, life-supporting planet that we can colonize and slowly destroy the way that we're slowly destroying Earth. I nominate "Planet Replacement" for its name.

No, Planet Chocolate, to handle all our chocolate related needs

And coffee. Norway is going to drain the planet of all our coffee and we'll be a fatigued, chocolate-deprived morass hurtling through space D:

[Divair]

Hold on. Explain to why me cocoa beans will suddenly stop growing in 2020? It seems like all these newspapers are being very sensational. Sure, there might be a shortage, but I see no reason to suggest production won't grow to fill the gap.

[Blekksprutia]

NOOOOOO!

Time to start a band of intergalactic pirates and stealplant chocolate fromon other planets.

Think sustainably

[Pacifornia]

It's time to find a new, life-supporting planet that we can colonize and slowly destroy the way that we're slowly destroying Earth. I nominate "Planet Replacement" for its name.

No, Planet Chocolate, to handle all our chocolate related needs

Rivers of Hershey chocolate and pillars of Snickers galore. It's so lovely it makes me cry. Enslave the chocolate gummy bears that inhabit the planet!

[Fralinia]

:lol:

Are they just basing this on future demand against current production?

Supply and demand. The article even points out chocolate prices will rise - when demand increases, so will supply. We're not going to run out of Chocolate.

The fact of the matter is that unless prices are staggering, a lot of farmers won't want to wait four years for profits. That, and that much of the cocoa-production suitable land needs a decent amount of work before it becomes suitable to farm.

We won't run out of chocolate, but it won't be cheap.

[Blekksprutia]

Hold on. Explain to why me cocoa beans will suddenly stop growing in 2020? It seems like all these newspapers are being very sensational. Sure, there might be a shortage, but I see no reason to suggest production won't grow to fill the gap.

October 2, 2020 is when fanatics bomb all viable cocoa-growing regions to boost their space program.