State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201122

  • Walking the Tightrope of Groundwater Management

    Walking the Tightrope of Groundwater Management

    As climate changes and supplying water becomes more challenging, one company says it has a better management strategy.

  • Removing Dams and Restoring Rivers

    Removing Dams and Restoring Rivers

    On Sept. 17, 2011, the removal of two large hydroelectric dams on the Elwha River in Washington State, which have blocked migrating salmon from reaching their spawning grounds for almost 100 years, will begin. While this is the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, it is just one of several major dam removals planned…

  • Track the Number of People in Irene’s Path

    Track the Number of People in Irene’s Path

    As Hurricane Irene barrels up the East Coast, the number of people affected is rising. Based on calculations at 2 pm on Saturday, more than 47 million people were within 100 miles of the storm track; and nearly 69 million within 200 miles, according to Columbia’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network(CIESIN). Visit CIESIN’s…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/21

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/21

    Standing Against Oil Sands – and Standing for the Climate, Time, Aug 22 Scores of people have been arrested in front of the White House in an ongoing protest urging President Obama to block construction of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring crude oil from western Canada’s tar sands developments to the United…

  • New Web Site: Impacts of Climate Change/Variability on the Urban Northeast

    The CCRUN Web site, developed and hosted by CIESIN, provides resources related to assessing and managing risks from climate change/variability in the urban Northeast.

  • A Famine Foretold

    A Famine Foretold

    Climate and food security expert Jim Hansen lays out the root causes of food insecurity in East Africa.

  • Live, from the Bottom of the Sea

    Live, from the Bottom of the Sea

    Lamont-Doherty scientist Timothy Crone is at sea off the Northwest U.S. coast, dropping sensors into the deep ocean as part of a major initiative to better understand oceans, climate and plate tectonics. Watch a live video feed from the latest dive at 3 p.m. EST.

  • Fears of a Double Dip…La Niña

    Fears of a Double Dip…La Niña

    You’d be forgiven for thinking its 2008 and not just because of the economic uncertainty. Is there a dreaded double dip La Niña in store, too?

  • Climate Cycles Are Driving Wars, Says Study

    When El Niño Warmth Hits, Tropical Conflicts Double

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

  • Walking the Tightrope of Groundwater Management

    Walking the Tightrope of Groundwater Management

    As climate changes and supplying water becomes more challenging, one company says it has a better management strategy.

  • Removing Dams and Restoring Rivers

    Removing Dams and Restoring Rivers

    On Sept. 17, 2011, the removal of two large hydroelectric dams on the Elwha River in Washington State, which have blocked migrating salmon from reaching their spawning grounds for almost 100 years, will begin. While this is the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, it is just one of several major dam removals planned…

  • Track the Number of People in Irene’s Path

    Track the Number of People in Irene’s Path

    As Hurricane Irene barrels up the East Coast, the number of people affected is rising. Based on calculations at 2 pm on Saturday, more than 47 million people were within 100 miles of the storm track; and nearly 69 million within 200 miles, according to Columbia’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network(CIESIN). Visit CIESIN’s…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/21

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/21

    Standing Against Oil Sands – and Standing for the Climate, Time, Aug 22 Scores of people have been arrested in front of the White House in an ongoing protest urging President Obama to block construction of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring crude oil from western Canada’s tar sands developments to the United…

  • New Web Site: Impacts of Climate Change/Variability on the Urban Northeast

    The CCRUN Web site, developed and hosted by CIESIN, provides resources related to assessing and managing risks from climate change/variability in the urban Northeast.

  • A Famine Foretold

    A Famine Foretold

    Climate and food security expert Jim Hansen lays out the root causes of food insecurity in East Africa.

  • Live, from the Bottom of the Sea

    Live, from the Bottom of the Sea

    Lamont-Doherty scientist Timothy Crone is at sea off the Northwest U.S. coast, dropping sensors into the deep ocean as part of a major initiative to better understand oceans, climate and plate tectonics. Watch a live video feed from the latest dive at 3 p.m. EST.

  • Fears of a Double Dip…La Niña

    Fears of a Double Dip…La Niña

    You’d be forgiven for thinking its 2008 and not just because of the economic uncertainty. Is there a dreaded double dip La Niña in store, too?

  • Climate Cycles Are Driving Wars, Says Study

    When El Niño Warmth Hits, Tropical Conflicts Double