Sugar has become more expensive in recent months than it has been since 2011. Climate change and crop failures are just one factor. For those with a sweet tooth, the current developments do not bode well: at the end of last year, sugar became more expensive than it had been since 2011. One reason: In India, which produces about twelve percent of the world's sugar, production fell by several million tons last year after the rains needed for cultivation failed. Many investors feared that India might ban sugar exports for the first time in seven years, since the country itself has to import more sugar than it exports. According to estimates, production in Thailand, the world's third-largest sugar producer, could also collapse by 31 percent, reaching a 17-year low. The country is still struggling with a severe drought and water shortage, helped by the El Niño weather phenomenon. The sugar beet harvest in Europe was also weak due to several heat waves last year. 2023 was the warmest year on record – and drought and high temperatures driven by climate change are damaging not only sugar crops but also other crops such as olives, wheat, rice and coffee. (Jakub Pallinger)