State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201135

  • A Right, a Need, or an Economic Good? Debating our Relationship to Water

    A Right, a Need, or an Economic Good? Debating our Relationship to Water

    Debates about the human right to water, and the role of the state or private companies in ensuring access, illustrate that water provision is anything but apolitical.

  • Rhone Glacier Finely Tuned to Climate Changes

    Rhone Glacier Finely Tuned to Climate Changes

    By chiseling hunks of stone from recently exposed bedrock near the edge of the Rhone Glacier, scientists were able to decipher the comings and goings of the ice over the past 11,000 years. That should help predict what will happen to glaciers in the warming world to come.

  • New working paper: India’s Decade of Development II

    In 2000 Drs. Sachs and Bajpai called for a ‘Decade of Development’ in India. Now in 2011, a new working paper reflects on progress and propose strategies for strengthening India’s growth in the next 20 years.

  • The Uncertainties of Groundwater and Climate in India: An Interview with Chandra Kiran Krishnamurthy

    The Uncertainties of Groundwater and Climate in India: An Interview with Chandra Kiran Krishnamurthy

    Since he arrived at the Columbia Water Center at its founding in 2008, Chandra Kiran Krishnamurthy has been unswervingly focused on two questions. First, how will groundwater depletion and climate change affect agriculture in India? And given the dire nature of the crisis, what can we do to help people adapt?

  • Cities Lead on Climate Problems, and Solutions

    New Report Analyzes Urban Areas Across the World

  • Young Citizens Lawsuit Seeks to Compel US Action on Climate Change

    A lawsuit filed in April on behalf of citizens too young to vote takes a novel approach in seeking to force the United States government to mitigate the most serious impacts of human-induced climate change. The petitioners argue that, in failing to address climate change, the federal government has abandoned its fiduciary responsibility to affirmatively…

  • New Resource Center for Preservation of Geospatial Data

    Geospatial data–including digital maps, imagery, and a variety of other digital files–are valuable resources for many different types of research, applications, and administrative functions. But unlike physical maps and documents, digital data can be difficult to reuse and preserve in the long run, because of changing software and formats, inadequate documentation, loss of media, and…

  • Tree Rings Open Door on 1,100 Years of El Niño

    Tree Rings Open Door on 1,100 Years of El Niño

    Scientists have used tree-ring data from the American Southwest to reconstruct a 1,100-year history of the El Niño cycle that shows that, when the earth warms, the climate acts up. The research may improve scientists’ ability to predict future climate and the effects of global warming.

  • Why We Must Reconnect With Nature

    Why We Must Reconnect With Nature

    In recent years both children and adults have only gotten more hooked on digital gadgets and technology. Is our connection with nature growing weaker, and if so, what might that mean for our planet?

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

  • A Right, a Need, or an Economic Good? Debating our Relationship to Water

    A Right, a Need, or an Economic Good? Debating our Relationship to Water

    Debates about the human right to water, and the role of the state or private companies in ensuring access, illustrate that water provision is anything but apolitical.

  • Rhone Glacier Finely Tuned to Climate Changes

    Rhone Glacier Finely Tuned to Climate Changes

    By chiseling hunks of stone from recently exposed bedrock near the edge of the Rhone Glacier, scientists were able to decipher the comings and goings of the ice over the past 11,000 years. That should help predict what will happen to glaciers in the warming world to come.

  • New working paper: India’s Decade of Development II

    In 2000 Drs. Sachs and Bajpai called for a ‘Decade of Development’ in India. Now in 2011, a new working paper reflects on progress and propose strategies for strengthening India’s growth in the next 20 years.

  • The Uncertainties of Groundwater and Climate in India: An Interview with Chandra Kiran Krishnamurthy

    The Uncertainties of Groundwater and Climate in India: An Interview with Chandra Kiran Krishnamurthy

    Since he arrived at the Columbia Water Center at its founding in 2008, Chandra Kiran Krishnamurthy has been unswervingly focused on two questions. First, how will groundwater depletion and climate change affect agriculture in India? And given the dire nature of the crisis, what can we do to help people adapt?

  • Cities Lead on Climate Problems, and Solutions

    New Report Analyzes Urban Areas Across the World

  • Young Citizens Lawsuit Seeks to Compel US Action on Climate Change

    A lawsuit filed in April on behalf of citizens too young to vote takes a novel approach in seeking to force the United States government to mitigate the most serious impacts of human-induced climate change. The petitioners argue that, in failing to address climate change, the federal government has abandoned its fiduciary responsibility to affirmatively…

  • New Resource Center for Preservation of Geospatial Data

    Geospatial data–including digital maps, imagery, and a variety of other digital files–are valuable resources for many different types of research, applications, and administrative functions. But unlike physical maps and documents, digital data can be difficult to reuse and preserve in the long run, because of changing software and formats, inadequate documentation, loss of media, and…

  • Tree Rings Open Door on 1,100 Years of El Niño

    Tree Rings Open Door on 1,100 Years of El Niño

    Scientists have used tree-ring data from the American Southwest to reconstruct a 1,100-year history of the El Niño cycle that shows that, when the earth warms, the climate acts up. The research may improve scientists’ ability to predict future climate and the effects of global warming.

  • Why We Must Reconnect With Nature

    Why We Must Reconnect With Nature

    In recent years both children and adults have only gotten more hooked on digital gadgets and technology. Is our connection with nature growing weaker, and if so, what might that mean for our planet?