News from the Media

Christine Hatch, Earth, geographic and climate sciences, comments in an article about a proposal to privatize management of the water system in the Town of Ware. “How do you ensure that the public good is really preserved? … I really just have a very difficult time believing that you can have the profit motive coexist with the public good of providing inexpensive, safe drinking water,” Hatch says.

Zara Dowling, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Environmental Conservation, will participate in a public forum on Nov. 6 about expanding solar power in the town of Ashfield. Dowling led a class last year where students worked with municipalities to develop solar energy plans. She will be presenting the finished project created for Ashfield by student Grace Theberge.

Andy Danylchuk, professor of fish conservation, and Lucas Griffin, a postdoctoral researcher in environmental conservation discuss their first-of-its-kind dataset on tarpon showing that there are two distinct subgroups of tarpon, known to anglers as the "Silver King," which has immediate implications for fish conservation efforts. “Tarpon along the Atlantic coast have a different set of conservation priorities than those in the Gulf, but because many converge in the Keys, our science indicates that policies and management for tarpon needs to be regional, not state by state,” says Danylchuk.

Researchers at the Cranberry Station received a grant to study cranberry fruit rot, a disease worsened by climate change, and its impacts on the cranberry industry. “Rot is a major problem because once fruits are rotted, that is a quality concern and growers cannot sell the produce if rot levels are beyond 20%,” said Leela Uppala, assistant professor of plant pathology. “We see truckloads [of cranberries] getting rejected by handlers.”

Hilary Sandler, director of the UMass Cranberry Station, comments on the late harvest of cranberries on Cape Cod, caused by warmer temperatures in September fueled by climate change. She says cool nighttime temperatures help cranberries gain their red color. “We’ve been waiting for color and that’s always balanced with the longer the fruit are on the vines, the more rot you are going to get, so it’s always a very anxious time,” Sandler says.

Jon Clements, UMass Extension, is quoted in an article about how this year’s late spring freeze and summer flooding impacted apple trees. “We are encouraging people to be patient with the harvest,” he says, adding that the apples still taste great. He reports that there has been a 25% apple crop loss in Massachusetts (with farms in the western and northern parts of the state faring the worst), increased diseases, and more apples in higher branches than lower ones.

L. Carl Fiocchi, environmental conservation, is referenced in this article about the move toward more sustainable and efficient buildings.

The Cranberry Research Station, with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, is investigating using larger, agricultural drones that can apply agricultural chemicals to deal with climate change challenges. 

Research by Jared Starr, environmental conservation, reports that Americans who are in the top 10% of earners are responsible for 40% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Previous studies look at the emissions tied to consumption (food, fuel, etc.), but this study, published in the journal PLOS Climate, evaluated the emissions used in generating people’s incomes, including investment income. The findings suggest an income-based carbon tax, rather than a consumption-based tax, could incentivize companies to decarbonize.