Stimulating environmental degradation: A global study of resource use in cocoa, coffee, tea and tobacco supply chains

Stimulants play a central role in modern human society. Consumption of stimulants transcends culture, demography, and income group. As cash crops, (such as cocoa, coffee, tea tobacco) also act source economic security for producers low-income countries. However, satisfying the demand entails potentially large environmental cost. This burden demands careful attention given negative impact stimulant production on local food security. To date, have been peripheral to research policy agenda sustainable systems. We undertake first global assessment water, land fertiliser use associated with tobacco production, consumption trade, across 254 countries, between 2002 2017. Globally, resource these (except grew substantially over this period. In 2017, economy required i) equivalent total area Italy; ii) green blue water sectors Brazil Portugal, respectively; iii) India's same year. show that main centres implicate few major presenting management opportunities through supply chain screening resource-intensive sources targeted demand-side policies. Differences stimulant's highlights potential substitution reduce pressures system.