Is my morning coffee climate friendly?

We asked the experts about the ground rules for coffee and climate.

Beans, Beans, the Carbon-Intensive Fruit

The emissions from growing coffee beans are often the biggest contributor to your drink’s carbon footprint.

This includes the greenhouse gases from land-use changes, like cutting down trees, which store planet-warming carbon, to open up farmland. It also includes fertilizers. Making fertilizers generates a lot of emissions, and they produce even more when they’re applied to fields.

Cutting emissions from coffee at this stage of production has proved difficult. The European Union passed a law in 2023 banning imports of coffee and other products produced on deforested land. But in late September, officials postponed its implementation for a second consecutive year amid global backlash, including from coffee-producing countries and businesses who said the documentation required was too onerous.

Furthermore, when you’re standing in the grocery store, it’s nearly impossible to know your coffee’s backstory. Ideally, you’d be able to consult a life-cycle assessment, a scientific analysis that tracks environmental effects from farm to cup. But conducting a comprehensive assessment can be difficult, even for experts.

But researchers say there are shortcuts you can take. One approach is to look for coffee certifications, such as those offered by the nonprofit organizations Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade USA. While the most common certifications don’t focus on carbon emissions, they often promote environmentally responsible practices, such as reducing deforestation, which can help cut greenhouse gases.

“If you help the environment, you’re helping the climate,” said Lara Fornabaio, a lead researcher at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment.

Walter Baethgen, a senior research scientist at Columbia Climate School, cautioned against what he called “carbon myopia,” focusing solely on emissions while overlooking other important social and environmental impacts of coffee production.

Smooth Sailing

You might assume that shipping coffee across the world is a major source of emissions. But experts say we tend to overestimate the impact of transportation on a product’s carbon footprint, especially for goods like coffee that tend to travel on ships, not planes.

So whether your coffee comes from Costa Rica or Brazil, the transportation-related emissions are relatively low compared with what happens on the farm and in your home.

Just Brew It

Once the beans get to your kitchen, the way you prepare your coffee matters. Experts recommended doing what you can to cut down on the beans and energy that you use.

You should brew only what you plan to drink. Weighing the beans with a scale can help with this, and you might get a better cup in the bargain. Also, if you’re using an electric coffee machine, don’t leave it in heating mode any longer than necessary. Turn it off to save energy once you pour your last cup.

Surprisingly, single-use coffee pods don’t appear to be significantly worse than other brewing methods when it comes to emissions. An analysis by Canadian researchers found that coffee capsules can have a smaller carbon footprint than filter coffee, mainly because they use fewer beans to supply the same amount of beverage. (Though the advantage would be negated if the convenience of capsules leads you to drink more coffee.)

A study led by Andrea Hicks, the director of sustainability education and research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, yielded similar results, concluding that single-serve coffee pods have a similar environmental impact to drip-filter and French press coffee.

“I was surprised when we first found this, after reading all of the popular press saying that single serve coffee pods were terrible for the planet,” Hicks said. “It seems the public has a hard time believing this, as well.”

One thing to keep in mind, though: Single-use pods do create waste, so if you’re using these machines, opt for recyclable, compostable or reusable pods. Coffee pods that use plastic can also shed microplastics, tiny plastic particles that have been linked to adverse health effects, into your drink.

Another factor is what you put in your coffee, especially if you like milk or cream. James Gerber, a senior scientist at Project Drawdown, a nonprofit group that evaluates climate solutions, estimated that the milk in a latte can generate twice as much emissions as the coffee itself.

Experts recommended trying a drink with less dairy — say, a macchiato rather than a cappuccino — or trying a plant-based milk.

Finally, using electricity, like a plug-in kettle or an induction cooktop, is probably better for the planet than gas. And don’t forget: You can compost those grounds.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.