Chocolate is the world's favorite treat, but according to scientists, people around the world will have to satisfy their sweet tooth with something else in the coming decades.

Experts at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have predicted that chocolate will go extinct by 2050.

Chocolate, which is made from cocao plants, mostly comes from West Africa. These plants thrive in rainforests, but as global warming threatens our future, cocao farms are in danger of closing down.

Some have suggested that these seeds can be moved into the mountains, to make up for the drier and hotter temperatures to come, but those areas are unsuitable for cultivation, and would disrupt the ecosystem.  

But there may be a glimmer of hope in spite of all this...

The candy company Mars, which makes chocolate treats like Snickers and Twix bars, pledged $1 billion to fight climate change.

They've teamed up with the University of California to save future cocao crops.

Scientists plan to genetically modify the DNA of the crop to be able to survive in rising temperatures, so that farms don't have to be relocated to higher elevations.

"There is time for adaptation," the NOAA stated, mentioning that climate change will not affect the crops now, but will affect the next generation.

That being said, the organization warns that 89.5% of land used to cultivate the plant will no longer be suitable by 2050. The time it will take to make sure they've perfected the right seed for a future environment may take a while.

Scientists must not only consider rising temperatures, but also the amount of water and shade that these plants need in order to survive.

Chocolate is not the only way humans will be affected by climate change, our eating habits will have to change if genetically modified plants are not created to survive in future climates.

In the meantime, savor your chocolate while you can.

[Source: PEOPLE]