Gas consumers often aren’t as aware as they should be about the hidden costs of oil. Often, it is our environment that pays for our oil dependence through phenomena like climate change. Now, new data has revealed that global warming may threaten the world's supply of chocolate.

Chocoholics better enjoy their Hershey’s Kisses and Almond Joys while they can, a recent study by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), has come up with some startling predictions: 

The world's $9 billion chocolate industry gets almost half of its cocoa from West African farmers in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)…  if Ghana and the Ivory Coast experience a 2.3 Celsius degree jump in temperature by 2050, the climate won't be suitably cool enough to grow the crop.

Experts predict that the world will begin to feel the effects of global warming in this industry as soon as 2030, “The suitable regions, located within 300 kilometers from the coast, will shrink considerably.”

The one’s who will suffer most are the local farmers, many whose very livelihoods depend on cocoa farming, "They pick some pods and sell them to quickly raise cash for school fees or medical expenses. The trees play an absolutely critical role in rural life."

Perhaps it’s time we all do out best to reduce our dependence on oil, after all, doing so may very well help the environment, African farmers, and your chocolate supply.