Scientists warn of climate threat to chocolate

PARIS: Climate change drove weeks of crop-withering temperatures last year in the West African countries that underpin the world’s chocolate supply, hitting harvests and likely further stoking record prices, researchers said Wednesday.

Farmers in the region — which account for some 70 percent of global cacao production — have struggled with heat, disease and unusual rainfall in recent years, which have all contributed to falling production.

That has caused an explosion in the price of cocoa, which is produced from the beans of the cacao tree, and is…