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Climate risks for apple-growing areas

January 31, 2025 By EarthWise 2 Comments

The changing climate is creating challenges for some of the most productive apple growing regions in America. A study by Washington State University analyzed over 40 years of climate conditions that impact the growth cycle of apple trees.

Many growing areas face increased climate risk, but the top three apple-producing counties are among the most impacted. Yakima County in Washington is the country’s largest apple producer with more than 48,000 acres of apple orchards. Kent County in Michigan and Wayne County in New York (located east of Rochester) are the next two largest.

The study looked at six metrics that affect apple production. Two of these metrics relate to extremes: extreme heat days (with temperatures above 93 degrees) that can cause multiple problems and warm nights (with minimum temperatures above 59 degrees) that adversely affect coloration.

Other metrics included the number of cold days, the last day of spring frost, and the number of growing degree days, which are the number of days above a certain temperature that are conducive for apples to grow.

Changes to these metrics can impact apple production, change the time when apple flowers bloom, increase risk of sunburn on apples, and affect apple appearance and quality. In many places, nearly all of these metrics are changing in an undesirable direction.

Apples are the most consumed fruit in the United States. 27,000 American producers supply an industry with a downstream value of $23 billion. Apples are a big deal.

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Prime apple-growing areas in US face increasing climate risks

Photo, posted August 8, 2020, courtesy of Sue Thompson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The Plunging Cost Of Lithium-Ion Batteries | Earth Wise

May 11, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Lithium-ion batteries are the power source for phones, laptops, and electric cars. These rechargeable batteries were first commercially introduced in 1991. Since then, their performance has improved, and their cost has dropped tremendously.

There have been dramatic cost declines in many advanced technologies. The price of big-screen televisions is a prime example. Most people think of solar photovoltaic panels as the most exceptional case. In the 1970s, solar panels cost over $100 per watt. Today, they are 20 cents a watt.

How much lithium-ion batteries have dropped in price has been somewhat unclear. This is because much of the information about battery costs is in the form of closely held corporate data. Most lithium-ion batteries are not sold directly to consumers but rather are built into consumer electronics and cars. Large companies like Apple and Tesla buy batteries by the millions or manufacture them themselves, and the true costs are not publicly disclosed.

Recently, MIT researchers have carried out an extensive analysis of lithium-ion battery costs over the past three decades. The researchers found that the cost of these batteries has dropped by 97% over that period.

It is clear that the decline in battery costs has been an enabler of the recent growth in sales of electric vehicles. It is also clear that further declines in lithium-ion battery costs are likely to increase the batteries’ usage in stationary applications such as storing energy from intermittent green power sources like solar and wind.

The batteries have ever-improving energy density (energy stored within a given volume) and specific energy (energy stored within a given mass.) As lithium-ion batteries continue to get better and cheaper, their role in the world continues to grow.

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Study reveals plunge in lithium-ion battery costs

Photo, posted October 26, 2020, courtesy of Ajay Suresh via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

China And Rare Earth Mining

September 4, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Rare earth elements are a crucial part of much of modern technology. Everything from computers to X-ray machines and aircraft engines needs one or more rare earth elements for magnets, lenses, and other functions. The world’s tech giants such as Apple, Huawei, and Tesla depend on suppliers of rare earths.

Rare earth elements are not actually rare, but they are very expensive to extract in ways that are not extremely harmful to the environment. China has been a major source of these elements since its rare earth mining industry took off in the 1990s. The removal of rare earths from the earth’s crust, using a mix of water and chemicals, has caused extensive water and soil pollution.

Today, concrete leaching ponds and plastic-lined wastewater pools dot the hills of Southeast China. Large wastewater ponds sit uncovered and open to the elements in many places. Landslides or barrier failures can spill contaminated contents into waterways or groundwater.

Local and federal officials in China have started to shut down illegal and small-scale rare earth mining operations and have embarked on a cleanup of polluted sites. The rare earth mining cleanup operation is part of wider efforts across China to address severe problems of water, air and soil pollution.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology estimated that the cleanup bill for southern Jiangxi Province could amount to more than $5 billion. Many environmental experts and local officials say that the cost of the cleanup should not be shouldered by the Chinese government alone, but also by the rare earth industry and the global companies and consumers that benefit from rare earth technology. As rare earth mining efforts start up elsewhere around the world, it is important not to repeat the mistakes made in China.

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China Wrestles with the Toxic Aftermath of Rare Earth Mining

Photo, posted April 21, 2019, courtesy of John Beans via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Old-School Companies And Renewable Energy

April 12, 2016 By WAMC WEB

The biggest Internet companies have been embracing renewable energy for years now. The company that bought the largest amount of clean energy last year was Google, which has three times the renewable capacity of the next biggest user. Other familiar names in the top ten companies in total wind and solar capacity include Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple. These companies have been ahead of the pack in looking for sustainable ways to meet their substantial energy needs.

Clean Energy And The Internet

February 4, 2016 By WAMC WEB

A number of large Internet companies are being very proactive in the area of clean energy. Companies like Google, Facebook, and Apple have invested billions on green energy solutions. This isn’t just good citizenship and good publicity for progressive companies, it is an essential part of the global effort to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Businesses Going Solar

December 28, 2015 By WAMC WEB

The fourth annual Solar Means Business Report is out. It identifies major commercial solar projects and ranks America’s top solar users. Just since the first report came out, the amount of solar power installed by America’s top companies has tripled.