There isn’t anything inherently bad about tea, but the current tea agriculture system faces a number of issues, from excessive pesticide use to deforestation to extremely inhumane working conditions. And as climate change progresses, tea flavor and antioxidant content is worsening, tea yields themselves are decreasing, and the aforementioned environmental and human rights issues are poised to worsen. Today, we discuss all these problems, and consider how we can improve the production of the world’s second-most consumed beverage. With special guest Dr. Yixian Sun: Assistant Professor of International Development at the University of Bath.
The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a public media initiative from PBS flagship station The WNET Group in New York, reporting on the issues and solutions around climate change. You can learn more at pbs.org/perilandpromise.
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