State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201012

  • Fear and Thirst in Las Vegas (and Phoenix, and Los Angeles . . .)

    Fear and Thirst in Las Vegas (and Phoenix, and Los Angeles . . .)

    Unless the 11-year drought that has parched the southwestern United States suddenly ends, emergency water provisions may have to be put in place to reduce water deliveries to Nevada and Arizona.

  • Model District Health Project Aims to Reach 600 Million in India

    Model District Health Project Aims to Reach 600 Million in India

    The country’s first model district health project has been launched in the Morigaon district of Assam.

  • Report from the Field: The Tro-Tro – An Essential Mode of Transport in Accra, Ghana

    Report from the Field: The Tro-Tro – An Essential Mode of Transport in Accra, Ghana

    The following is a guest blog, authored by Victoria Okoye, a Millennium Cities Initiative researcher, who has been investigating urban transportation issues in Accra, Ghana. Researching urban transport in Accra, Ghana, this summer on behalf of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Millennium Cities Initiative, I learned a lot about the city’s most well-known, loved,…

  • What They See: A Final Account from TCC

    Over the past few months Raphy Rosen has been sending us updates from his job as the CSSR-TCC intern at the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center. He’s walked us through stories of former beauty queens, dabblers in polytheism, lovebirds, and resident cheerleaders, to name a few. While these stories are moving and more often…

  • In the Fight Against Poverty, Higher Priority Needed for Environmental Sustainability

    In the Fight Against Poverty, Higher Priority Needed for Environmental Sustainability

    By Cheryl Palm As the state of the environment directly affects human health and economic wellbeing, the attainment of Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensuring environmental sustainability is critical to the success of all the MDGs.

  • Report: State of Climate Prediction

    Report: State of Climate Prediction

    The U.S. National Research Council recently published a report on the state of medium-term climate prediction and predictability. IRI’s Lisa Goddard, who was a member of the panel that wrote the report, elaborates on some of its key points and recommendations.

  • Columbia Global Center | South Asia Opens its Doors in Mumbai

    Columbia Global Center | South Asia Opens its Doors in Mumbai

    On September 13, 2010 the Columbia Global Center | South Asia, a newly launched Columbia Global Center, officially inaugurated offices in Mumbai. Dr. Nirupam Bajpai, the Center’s Director and a Senior Development Advisor at the Earth Institute, was joined by Mrs. Rajashree Birla, Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Foundation, Paul Folmsbee, US Consul General in…

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #4

    The Guardian – ‎Sep 23, 2010 Millennium development goals in an age of fear and loathing Inter Press Service – Sep 23, 2010 Obama Lays Out Vision, Details Still Blurry Associated Press – Sep 21, 2010 State of the World: Progress in a small Kenyan village Financial Times – Sep 23, 2010 Rationalise aid to increase efficiency…

  • Educated Girls Lead to Empowered Societies

    Educated Girls Lead to Empowered Societies

    Educating girls and women is an important step in overcoming poverty. Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3 reflect the commitment that female education has a strong relationship with many other development indicators, and that education is an indispensable tool for women empowerment and the reduction of poverty. Girls’ education and the promotion of gender equality…

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • Fear and Thirst in Las Vegas (and Phoenix, and Los Angeles . . .)

    Fear and Thirst in Las Vegas (and Phoenix, and Los Angeles . . .)

    Unless the 11-year drought that has parched the southwestern United States suddenly ends, emergency water provisions may have to be put in place to reduce water deliveries to Nevada and Arizona.

  • Model District Health Project Aims to Reach 600 Million in India

    Model District Health Project Aims to Reach 600 Million in India

    The country’s first model district health project has been launched in the Morigaon district of Assam.

  • Report from the Field: The Tro-Tro – An Essential Mode of Transport in Accra, Ghana

    Report from the Field: The Tro-Tro – An Essential Mode of Transport in Accra, Ghana

    The following is a guest blog, authored by Victoria Okoye, a Millennium Cities Initiative researcher, who has been investigating urban transportation issues in Accra, Ghana. Researching urban transport in Accra, Ghana, this summer on behalf of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Millennium Cities Initiative, I learned a lot about the city’s most well-known, loved,…

  • What They See: A Final Account from TCC

    Over the past few months Raphy Rosen has been sending us updates from his job as the CSSR-TCC intern at the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center. He’s walked us through stories of former beauty queens, dabblers in polytheism, lovebirds, and resident cheerleaders, to name a few. While these stories are moving and more often…

  • In the Fight Against Poverty, Higher Priority Needed for Environmental Sustainability

    In the Fight Against Poverty, Higher Priority Needed for Environmental Sustainability

    By Cheryl Palm As the state of the environment directly affects human health and economic wellbeing, the attainment of Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensuring environmental sustainability is critical to the success of all the MDGs.

  • Report: State of Climate Prediction

    Report: State of Climate Prediction

    The U.S. National Research Council recently published a report on the state of medium-term climate prediction and predictability. IRI’s Lisa Goddard, who was a member of the panel that wrote the report, elaborates on some of its key points and recommendations.

  • Columbia Global Center | South Asia Opens its Doors in Mumbai

    Columbia Global Center | South Asia Opens its Doors in Mumbai

    On September 13, 2010 the Columbia Global Center | South Asia, a newly launched Columbia Global Center, officially inaugurated offices in Mumbai. Dr. Nirupam Bajpai, the Center’s Director and a Senior Development Advisor at the Earth Institute, was joined by Mrs. Rajashree Birla, Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Foundation, Paul Folmsbee, US Consul General in…

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #4

    The Guardian – ‎Sep 23, 2010 Millennium development goals in an age of fear and loathing Inter Press Service – Sep 23, 2010 Obama Lays Out Vision, Details Still Blurry Associated Press – Sep 21, 2010 State of the World: Progress in a small Kenyan village Financial Times – Sep 23, 2010 Rationalise aid to increase efficiency…

  • Educated Girls Lead to Empowered Societies

    Educated Girls Lead to Empowered Societies

    Educating girls and women is an important step in overcoming poverty. Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3 reflect the commitment that female education has a strong relationship with many other development indicators, and that education is an indispensable tool for women empowerment and the reduction of poverty. Girls’ education and the promotion of gender equality…