How Capitalism Breeds Vector-Borne Disease / Brent Z. Kaup & Kelly F. Austin

We are no doubt partly to blame. We consume agricultural products like coffee, for example, which are linked to land use changes that then impact disease. And while we are responsible as consumers for our consumption, I think we also need to point a lot of responsibility to the companies that are facilitating this consumption and also facilitating the types of consumption, right? And also hiding a lot of the ecological impacts from us. They purposefully don't make links between things like coffee and deforestation and deforestation and malaria because who wants to be thinking about potentially giving kids malaria as they're enjoying their morning cup, cup of Joe, right? Are we somewhat complicit or enablers as consumers? Of course, but again, the companies really hide a lot of the destruction that occurs from our viewpoint. And of course, it's these companies that are making the majority of the profits. In terms of coffee in particular, some studies show that it's these huge roasting companies that make up to 90 or 95 cents on every coffee dollar sold while less than 5 cents is going to the typical coffee farmer in someplace like rural Uganda.