State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201146

  • Of Earthquakes and Nuclear Reactors

    Of Earthquakes and Nuclear Reactors

    As Japan’s nuclear meltdown catastrophe continues in the wake of the March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami, Japanese power company executives and officials face an increasingly challenging situation. Tuesday morning, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) — the company operating the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant — dumped more than 11,000 gallons of radioactive seawater into…

  • Some People’s Climate Beliefs Shift With Weather

    Study Shows Daily Malleability on a Long-Term Question

  • Maybe Ben Franklin Was Wrong

    Maybe Ben Franklin Was Wrong

    A new study says that for all of its ill effects, the Laki volcanic eruption of 1783-84 probably was not the main culprit behind one of the coldest winters in hundreds of years, as many scientists — and contemporary observer Benjamin Franklin — have speculated.

  • Insuring the World’s Poorest Farmers

    Insuring the World’s Poorest Farmers

    Index insurance could help small-scale farmers build wealth and cope with climate change, but more accurate weather and climate data is needed for index insurance to catch on, writes Daniel Osgood, a scientist at Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). In a new piece in Nature Geoscience, Osgood and colleagues outline…

  • From Wastewater to Drinking Water

    From Wastewater to Drinking Water

    Across the globe, 2 out of 10 people do not have access to safe drinking water, and in the U.S., many states face water shortages and droughts. As the global population continues to grow and climate change results in more water crises, where will we find enough water to meet our needs?

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/27

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/27

    Warming Brings Unwelcome Change to Alaska Villages, Anchorage Daily News, Mar. 27 The changing climate is leading to health concerns in some Alaskan villages. In the Chukchi Sea village of Kivalina, beavers have colonized the Wulik River, the main source of fresh water for the Inupiat Eskimo villagers. This is a concern as beaver feces…

  • Colonel Qaddafi and the Great Man-made River

    Colonel Qaddafi and the Great Man-made River

    Behind the political impetus at work determining the fate of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi and the future of Libya lurks another issue: water.

  • Lessons from the Japan Earthquake

    Lessons from the Japan Earthquake

    The jolt in Japan stunned even scientists who’ve studied earthquakes all their lives.

  • Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development

    Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development

    The Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development will discuss how to mainstream climate change into economic and social development. It will introduce the main outcomes from the Conference of the Parties in Cancun (COP16) in terms of challenges and opportunities, within the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region and discuss the financing structure…

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

  • Of Earthquakes and Nuclear Reactors

    Of Earthquakes and Nuclear Reactors

    As Japan’s nuclear meltdown catastrophe continues in the wake of the March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami, Japanese power company executives and officials face an increasingly challenging situation. Tuesday morning, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) — the company operating the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant — dumped more than 11,000 gallons of radioactive seawater into…

  • Some People’s Climate Beliefs Shift With Weather

    Study Shows Daily Malleability on a Long-Term Question

  • Maybe Ben Franklin Was Wrong

    Maybe Ben Franklin Was Wrong

    A new study says that for all of its ill effects, the Laki volcanic eruption of 1783-84 probably was not the main culprit behind one of the coldest winters in hundreds of years, as many scientists — and contemporary observer Benjamin Franklin — have speculated.

  • Insuring the World’s Poorest Farmers

    Insuring the World’s Poorest Farmers

    Index insurance could help small-scale farmers build wealth and cope with climate change, but more accurate weather and climate data is needed for index insurance to catch on, writes Daniel Osgood, a scientist at Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). In a new piece in Nature Geoscience, Osgood and colleagues outline…

  • From Wastewater to Drinking Water

    From Wastewater to Drinking Water

    Across the globe, 2 out of 10 people do not have access to safe drinking water, and in the U.S., many states face water shortages and droughts. As the global population continues to grow and climate change results in more water crises, where will we find enough water to meet our needs?

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/27

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/27

    Warming Brings Unwelcome Change to Alaska Villages, Anchorage Daily News, Mar. 27 The changing climate is leading to health concerns in some Alaskan villages. In the Chukchi Sea village of Kivalina, beavers have colonized the Wulik River, the main source of fresh water for the Inupiat Eskimo villagers. This is a concern as beaver feces…

  • Colonel Qaddafi and the Great Man-made River

    Colonel Qaddafi and the Great Man-made River

    Behind the political impetus at work determining the fate of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi and the future of Libya lurks another issue: water.

  • Lessons from the Japan Earthquake

    Lessons from the Japan Earthquake

    The jolt in Japan stunned even scientists who’ve studied earthquakes all their lives.

  • Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development

    Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development

    The Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development will discuss how to mainstream climate change into economic and social development. It will introduce the main outcomes from the Conference of the Parties in Cancun (COP16) in terms of challenges and opportunities, within the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region and discuss the financing structure…