Avocados have become a beloved part of the U.S. diet. So much so that we’ll even shell out extra money for a scoop of guacamole at Chipotle amid high inflation.
However, the demand for avocados has put the area of Mexico where most of them are grown under strain. In fact, they could become endangered by 2050.
This week, the “Something Offbeat” podcast explores how something that we take for granted at the grocery store may be vanishing before our very eyes.
“The mountains in Mexico where avocados are grown have traditionally been cool throughout the winter, and there are pine forests and fir forests there that kind of create their own hydrological cycle,” explained guest Tierra Curry, an endangered species codirector and senior scientist for the Center for Biological Diversity. “But now they've been thinned. So much for avocados… and the climate is getting warmer.”
Still, there is some hope. Curry outlines some ways that avocado lovers can save the fruit and maybe help the environment in the process.
Each week, “Something Offbeat” takes a deeper look at an unusual headline. If you have suggestions for stories the podcast should cover, send them to us at somethingoffbeat@audacy.com.