Wonder about the impact of your daily cup of coffee on the planet? Here’s the bitter truth

• Around 125 million people worldwide depend on coffee for their livelihoods, but many of the estimated 25 million smallholder farmers who produce 80% of the crop struggle to earn a reliable living.
• Farmers' struggles are compounded by the fact that coffee is a boom-and-bust commodity, vulnerable to poor weather and pests.
• This creates an unstable market with recurring supply-demand imbalances that drive wild fluctuations in price.

Buy certified coffee: Coffee certifications can help you find coffee produced using farming practices that meet environmental, social or economic sustainability standards. There’s a dizzying array to choose from, but some of the best-regarded certifications are Fairtrade, Alliance, 4C and Smithsonian Bird Friendly.

Each scheme prioritizes different aspects of sustainability — and their focus can shift — so be sure to stay up to date and pick one that aligns with your values.

Dig deeper, beyond just the certification labels. Initiatives such as The Pledge aim to improve farmers’ bottom line by encouraging roasters to be transparent about the prices they pay. Many independent coffee shops also have close relationships with their growers and roasters, so don’t be shy to ask questions directly.

Dairy production is second only to meat in terms of its climate impacts, so it’s worth considering the entire contents of your cup. Studies show that the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a standard latte are between two and four times as high as those from a standard espresso.

If you can’t forego the milk, you can slash its climate impact by two-thirds by picking one of a variety of plant-based options.

As much as 70 percent of your cup’s environmental impact is tied to the beans and how they’re cultivated, so it makes sense to focus most of your attention there. But small actions add up, so avoid non-recyclable coffee pods and bulky pre-made drinks that take an inordinate amount of fuel to ship.

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of a simple reusable cup. When you take yours into a café, you’re doing more than saving a disposable cup from the landfill — you’re also signalling your values to companies that want your business.