State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201047

  • Punjab Farmers Adapt to Shrinking Water Supply

    Often referred to as the granary of India, Punjab is now slowly drying out. And though many farmers are deeply worried over the prospects of producing enough food, some of the more entrepreneurial ones are adopting new ways to conserve water while bracing for what will be a drier future. Back in the 1970s India…

  • Run for Water with CWC in Earth Week event

    Students and non-students alike are invited to join the Columbia Water Center in a run to raise awareness and funds for clean water, at the Dow Live Earth Run For Water on April 18.

  • Bamboo Bikes Nearing Production

    Imagine creating an affordable product and a sustainable industry tailored to both meet urgent demand and use native materials. This is what the Bamboo Bike Project (BBP) is doing in Kumasi, Ghana. We’ve honed our bamboo bike design to be suitable for road conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, and created a system by which these bikes…

  • Dr. Betsee Parker Donates to the Haiti Program

    A $125,000 gift from longtime donor and Benefactor Dr. Betsee Parker will benefit the crucial work of the Earth Institute’s Haiti Program. Tatiana Wah, a professor at the New School in New York (on leave), where she is a renowned scholar and practitioner of Haitian economic and social development, leads the Haiti program with Earth…

  • The Dead Sea Dilemma – Part II

    My prior post about the “The Dead Sea Dilemma” summarized the current condition of the Dead Sea and the ecological value of the region. In this post I will briefly describe two solutions that have been suggested. The Red Sea to Dead Sea Water Conveyance project – a conduit to transport water from the Red…

  • Madonna, Earth Institute, Ericsson & Millennium Promise To Support Global Education

    Urgent call for universal primary and secondary school education and donations to provide scholarships, especially for girls, in Africa, Asia & Latin America

  • State of the Planet 2010

    We all watched the earth move at State of the Planet (SOP) 2010 literally and figuratively. The backdrop on the main stage in New York was a giant rotating earth, spinning from continent to continent as we connected leaders from around the globe who urged action on issues of climate change, poverty, economic recovery and…

  • The weight of ice

    Taking off amidst snow flurries we are headed completely across the Greenland ice cap to the northeast corner of of the country. This flight will differ from most of the DC-8 flights during the Ice Bridge 2010 Greenland campaign. The DC-8 flights are mainly used to measure sea ice or surface mapping with high altitude…

  • Punjab Water Day 2010

    On March 20, the Columbia Water Center and the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) celebrated Punjab Water Day. Don’t be looking for a water slide or balloons or information booths. This was a recognition of the seriousness of the water crisis in Punjab, and of the commitment to find solutions.

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

  • Punjab Farmers Adapt to Shrinking Water Supply

    Often referred to as the granary of India, Punjab is now slowly drying out. And though many farmers are deeply worried over the prospects of producing enough food, some of the more entrepreneurial ones are adopting new ways to conserve water while bracing for what will be a drier future. Back in the 1970s India…

  • Run for Water with CWC in Earth Week event

    Students and non-students alike are invited to join the Columbia Water Center in a run to raise awareness and funds for clean water, at the Dow Live Earth Run For Water on April 18.

  • Bamboo Bikes Nearing Production

    Imagine creating an affordable product and a sustainable industry tailored to both meet urgent demand and use native materials. This is what the Bamboo Bike Project (BBP) is doing in Kumasi, Ghana. We’ve honed our bamboo bike design to be suitable for road conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, and created a system by which these bikes…

  • Dr. Betsee Parker Donates to the Haiti Program

    A $125,000 gift from longtime donor and Benefactor Dr. Betsee Parker will benefit the crucial work of the Earth Institute’s Haiti Program. Tatiana Wah, a professor at the New School in New York (on leave), where she is a renowned scholar and practitioner of Haitian economic and social development, leads the Haiti program with Earth…

  • The Dead Sea Dilemma – Part II

    My prior post about the “The Dead Sea Dilemma” summarized the current condition of the Dead Sea and the ecological value of the region. In this post I will briefly describe two solutions that have been suggested. The Red Sea to Dead Sea Water Conveyance project – a conduit to transport water from the Red…

  • Madonna, Earth Institute, Ericsson & Millennium Promise To Support Global Education

    Urgent call for universal primary and secondary school education and donations to provide scholarships, especially for girls, in Africa, Asia & Latin America

  • State of the Planet 2010

    We all watched the earth move at State of the Planet (SOP) 2010 literally and figuratively. The backdrop on the main stage in New York was a giant rotating earth, spinning from continent to continent as we connected leaders from around the globe who urged action on issues of climate change, poverty, economic recovery and…

  • The weight of ice

    Taking off amidst snow flurries we are headed completely across the Greenland ice cap to the northeast corner of of the country. This flight will differ from most of the DC-8 flights during the Ice Bridge 2010 Greenland campaign. The DC-8 flights are mainly used to measure sea ice or surface mapping with high altitude…

  • Punjab Water Day 2010

    On March 20, the Columbia Water Center and the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) celebrated Punjab Water Day. Don’t be looking for a water slide or balloons or information booths. This was a recognition of the seriousness of the water crisis in Punjab, and of the commitment to find solutions.