巧克力40年后将消失！原因竟是气候变暖？

Experts predict the world could run out of chocolate within 40 years because cacao plants are struggling to survive in warmer climates.

有关专家预测由于全球气候变暖，可可树将难以生存，因此巧克力将在40年之内绝迹。

The trees can only grow within approximately 20 degrees north and south of the Equator - and they thrive under specific conditions such as high humidity and abundant rain.

由于可可树喜生在温度高、湿度大的环境，因此目前其种植区域仅限距离赤道南北纬约20度的狭窄的雨林。

That means cacao production areas are set to be pushed thousands of feet uphill into mountainous terrain which is carefully preserved for wildlife by 2050.

专家称，到2050年热带雨林将不再适合可可树生长，可可树种植区域需向高山区域转移，而那些区域大多是野生动植物保护区。

Last year experts predicted that the world was heading for a 'chocolate deficit' as shoppers in developing countries snapped up more of the sweet treat.

去年专家还预测道，由于发展中国家对巧克力的需求与日俱增，巧克力市场将逐渐进入供不应求的状态。

The typical Western consumer eats an average of 286 chocolate bars a year - more if they are from Belgium, the research titled Destruction by Chocolate found.

据调查显示，来自以比利时为主的典型西方国家的消费者平均每年会购买286根巧克力棒。

Since the 1990s, more than a billion people from China, Indonesia, India, Brazil and the former Soviet Union have entered the market for cocoa.Despite the increased demand, supply has not kept up and stockpiles of cocoa are said to be falling.

自20世纪90年代以来，上亿的来自中国、印度尼西亚、印度、巴西等发展中国家的消费者购买巧克力，导致市场对巧克力的需求不断增加，而可可豆的储量却逐年下降。

Doug Hawkins, from London-based research firm Hardman Agribusiness, said production of cocoa is under strain as farming methods have not changed for hundreds of years.

来自伦敦研究公司哈德曼农业的道格·霍金斯表示，可可产品供应紧张是因为可可树种植方法几百年来一成不变。

Some reports suggest cocoa growers in the world's top producer country, Ivory Coast, have resorted to illegally farming protected forests to meet demand - what Mr Hawkins calls 'destruction by chocolate'.

有关报道显示，在世界上可可种植最多的国家科特迪瓦（也称为 “象牙海岸”），有些种植者为了满足市场需求，在森林保护区域里非法耕种可可作物，道格·霍金斯称这种现象为“巧克力带来的毁灭”。