Today is Valentine’s Day, the day lovers express gratitude for their loved ones in life. It’s a day to celebrate and exchange gifts such as flowers and chocolates as a show of love and affection.

But is Valentine’s Day a day that humanity shows some love for nature? Opinion is torn between romantic lovers swooning on the sweet smell of roses, and environmental activists concerned about flower cultivation, farm workers’ welfare and the challenges confronting cocoa farming and its farmers.

Climate change is threatening the traditional Valentine’s Day gift of roses and the global flower industry is struggling. Roses prefer temperatures of around 14-15 degrees Celsius and plenty of water, but countries that grow roses, including Colombia, Ethiopia and Kenya, are experiencing rising temperatures.

According to a 2024 report by Christian Aid, climate change significantly impacts rose cultivation in Kenya and worldwide, with 59 per cent of all expected roses coming from the Global South countries, which face growing dangers from extreme weather. Water is getting scarce at an alarming rate as East Africa already faces erratic temperatures and extended droughts.

Chocolate challenges

Cocoa farmers are also facing significant challenges due to climate change, including more extreme weather events like droughts, heavy rainfall and increased temperatures, which can lead to reduced cocoa yields, pest outbreaks, and ultimately threaten their livelihoods.

It’s not all bad news however for cocoa farmers, although it could be harder for lovers to find sweet deals this Valentine’s Day.

“Expect prices for chocolate treats to increase around 10-20 per cent over last year as the price of cocoa has more than doubled since the beginning of 2024,” CNN quoted Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute on Wednesday. The price of chocolate is soaring as retailers raised prices.

The price of cocoa hit a record high of US$12,646 per metric tonne in December. Years of bad weather, attributed partly to climate change in the world’s leading producers, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, and the cocoa swollen shoot virus disease, have hampered production.

“A few seasons ago, one hectare (2.5 acres) would yield about 600 kilogrammes of cacao. Nowadays, it barely produces 300 kilos,” Ivorian cocoa farmer Magne Akoua told Al Jazeera in an interview.

The everyday challenges exacerbated by climate change are made more acute in a hugely unequal market where production shortfalls mean farmers struggle to make ends meet while surging chocolate prices help international companies’ profits to soar.

The local agricultural unions in Côte d’Ivoire are concerned about cacao farmers getting a fair deal for the work they put in harvesting, advocating for farmers to become a more proactive part of the sector’s value chain. 

Farmers currently have absolutely no say in the price of the fruit they produce. Although they are commending the government for recently raising the price for a kilogramme of cacao, they say more needs to be done to improve their livelihoods.

In the last two years, the cost of manufacturing chocolate has increased by more than 167 per cent, according to the Producer Price Index. Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana found themselves seriously affected by disease, illegal mining, changes in land use and climate change.

Chocolate prices are expected to double in the next couple of years. The lovers’ favourite bar might still be available but at twice the price. So, as lovers think that nothing is stronger than love – except maybe climate change, they should spare some thought and show some love for the planet this Valentine’s Day.

Thinking of about things other than the environment, they should remember that climate change affects everything, including all the special trappings they use to celebrate the occasion.

Valentine’s Day is a multi-billion-dollar industry, with the United States dropping about US$27 billion to celebrate love each year. In a warmer world, however, many of the favourites – like chocolates and wine – will be at risk, and some are just plain unsustainable – like roses.

“The sooner we act on climate, the sooner we can preserve these cherished traditions. Or at least adjust these traditions to accommodate a warmer world,” urges EARTHDAY.ORG, the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for our planet.

As it ponders how stable the future of Valentine’s Day is, the organisation observes that “roses are red… and carbon-intensive”.

Referring to the cut-flower industry, EARTHDAY.ORG notes that over half of men (and 16 per cent of women) celebrating Valentine’s Day today will buy flowers for that special someone. And that’s no surprise; flowers, especially roses, have long been the staple.

However, the beautiful roses have to be transported by air to their main market lovers’ destinations in Europe and the US. The International Council of Clean Transportation estimates that flights importing flowers emit millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The council estimates that flights importing flowers “burn approximately 114 million litres of fuel, emitting approximately 360,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Once the flowers make it to America, they are transported to stores using refrigerated trucks.

Roses are beautiful, durable and, at least relatively, long-lasting: what better symbol of love.

Their durability is also their downfall, at least as far as their carbon footprint goes, according to climate change mitigation advocates.

Because they can withstand a lot (again, like love), roses can travel thousands of miles.

In 2018, 250 million roses were produced for Valentine’s Day, according to the Society of American Florists. Nearly all these flowers were imported to the US, often by plane. Roses need to be refrigerated when they are shipped, and refrigerators are some of the most potent greenhouse gases.

According to the research organisation Project Drawdown, refrigeration management is the number one solution to global carbon dioxide reduction.

Once flights, refrigerants, chemicals to preserve the flowers and plastics for wrapping are considered, these flowers don’t smell quite as sweet as they once did.

Back home flower farm workers in Kenya face many challenges, including low pay, long hours, and gender discrimination. Other challenges include poor housing, unsafe working conditions, lack of freedom of association and domestic violence.

Despite these challenges, the flower industry in Kenya is one of the top foreign exchange earners in Kenya. Roses are a major part of the Kenyan economy, with more than half-a-million people relying on them for their livelihoods.

Environmental activists say the extreme temperatures and drought that are harming rose cultivation have been compromised by the inaction of political leaders in reducing carbon emissions that jeopardise an important industry.

They also say the flower industry, needs to look to technology and innovation to reach Net-Zero as committed to in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

On this Day, to show love to Mother Nature, lovers are being urged to celebrate Valentine’s Day more sustainably by giving a potted plant instead of a bouquet of roses, buying fair-trade chocolate and making a homemade card.

They are also encouraged to use eco-friendly products such as eco-conscious wrapping paper, share a local meal, use cloth napkins and reusable plates and wrap gifts in uncycled materials.

Happy Valentine’s Day!