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A Sustainable Future for Haiti
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Haiti on January 12 caused massive destruction to human life and infrastructure—as many as 3 million people have been affected. The Earth Institute’s Haiti Policy Advisor, Tatiana Wah, who was in the country at the time of the earthquake, works with the Haitian government to develop, analyze, implement…
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Melting Glaciers–Tracking Their Path
I am a geophysicist at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and I study how different processes shape the bottom of oceans and rivers. One focus of my research is the continental shelves off Antarctica, especially in the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Sea, and the role of ice sheets in their formation. I made my first trip to…
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Scientists Drill Deepest Hole off New Zealand
Layers of sand tell of fluctuations in climate, sea level
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What’s Making West Antarctica Melt?
The view from the Palmer is so blindingly white today that the eye cannot tell where the ice ends and the clouds begin. In this unusually icy Antarctic summer, it seems strange to contemplate melting ice. But glaciers, here and in Greenland, are melting faster than they are growing. We know that ice sheets have…
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Is there such a thing as too much water awareness?
Gayle Leonard, in her blog Thirsty in Suburbia, posts about Jason Garland’s Twitter feed, which is set up to automatically update for all water use in his household, continually, dozens of times a day. It’s undeniable documentation, it’s shocking, and it would get old very, very fast.
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The First Millennium City Song: Ghanaian Pop Artist Celebrates Accra’s Designation as a Millennium City
Members of the MCI/Earth Institute Accra team were treated to upbeat premiere performances of the first “Millennium City” song, composed in honor of Accra’s recent designation as a Millennium City. The catchy tune was premiered by famed Ghanaian singer/songwriter Akosua Agyapong and her band during a festive evening jamboree in the historic Jamestown neighborhood of…
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Cool tech: The ‘Savior Bud’ collects clean drinking water from trees
In dry areas of the world where access to clean drinking water is a matter of life and death, this novel design lets people get a little help from their plant friends. Yanko Design has developed the ‘Savior Bud’, which collects moisture directly from tree leaves during the natural transpiration cycle.
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Climate News Roundup – Week of 2/1
Obama Seeks to Boost Nuclear Power in New Budget, Yahoo News A White House Official states Friday that President Obama plans to triple government loan guarantees for nuclear power development to over $54 billion. This increase follows President Obama’s State of the Union address on Wednesday night, which urged legislators to reach a bi-partisan consensus…
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Making a Difference in Africa
The Earth Institute received a surprise gift of $2.1 million from Sue and Bill Gross to benefit the crucial work of the Millennium Villages project. The gift is the third from financier Gross and his wife Sue, who have given more than $5 million in unrestricted support of the Millennium Villages project, a community-led, holistic…
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