The climate crisis in West Africa has driven weeks of high temperatures, causing about 70% of global cocoa production, harvesting and possibly leading to further record chocolate prices, researchers say.

Farmers in the region have struggled with heat, disease and abnormal rainfall in recent years, which has led to a decline in yields.

The decline has led to an increase in the price of cocoa, which is produced from the beans of the cocoa tree and is the main ingredient of chocolate.

A new report found that “climate change is mainly due to burning oil, coal and methane gases, causing high temperatures to be more frequent”, such as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria.

The study, which was found by the independent research team center, is particularly evident in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the two largest cocoa producers.

Using data from 44 cocoa production areas and computer models in West Africa, the researchers compared today's temperatures to the counterfactuals of a world not affected by global heating.

The researchers looked at the possibility that these areas faced temperatures above 32C (89.6 F) - higher than the optimal level for the cocoa tree.

The report calculates that over the past decade, global heaters have increased temperatures over the Ivory Coast and Ghana by more than 32 degrees Celsius over the major growing seasons between October and March.

Last year, the world's hottest year, they found that global heating drove temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius in at least 42 days.

"Excessive heat can reduce the quantity and quality of the harvest," the researchers said.

They noted that many other factors could harm cocoa trees and raise prices, including light infestations, rainfall patterns, smuggling and illegal mining.

Christian Aid published a separate study this week on chocolate and cocoa farmers’ vulnerability to global heating-driven weather changes.

British charities say conditions in West Africa have changed dramatically due to extreme rainfall, spoiled during the 2023 dry season and 2024 drought.

"Growing cocoa is a crucial livelihood for many of the poorest people in the world, and human-induced climate change is under serious threat," said Osai Ojigho, director of Christian aid policy and public campaign.

Failure in London and New York markets for commodity trading since the end of 2023 has helped drive significant increases in cocoa prices.

New York cocoa prices were priced at more than $10,000 per ton Wednesday, down from their mid-December peak of more than $12,500. For decades, New York's prices have hovered significantly between $2,000 and $3,000 per ton.

In January, Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli said prices will be raised again this year to offset the rising cost of cocoa.

Narcisa Pricope, a professor at Mississippi State University, said crops are facing "existential threats" mainly because the areas where cocoa produces are getting drier.

Pricope is part of a recent study on desertification conducted by the United Nations Convention, which found that over three quarters of Earth's land has become drier in the past 30 years.

Greenhouse gas emissions are the biggest cause of this drought, but degradation of soil and natural practices also play an important role.

"The collective action against drought is not just about preserving chocolate, it's about maintaining the ability of the planet to sustain life," she said.