State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201210

  • Millennium City and Millennium Village Students ‘Stand Up for Girls’ on International Day of the Girl

    Millennium City and Millennium Village Students ‘Stand Up for Girls’ on International Day of the Girl

    In sub-Saharan Africa, only 63 percent of girls complete their schooling, according to the World Bank. Yet our own research in the Millennium Cities indicates that girls who continue their education will have far greater opportunities, and they will be in a better position to care for themselves and their families. To celebrate the United…

  • Polder 32

    Polder 32

    Polder 32 is one of the many inland islands in Bangladesh that was enclosed by an embankment to protect it from flooding. When that embankment failed during Cyclone Aila in 2009, the island was flooded for almost 2 years. Subsidence of the ground inside the embankment with no sedimentation to compensate made it worse. We…

  • Khepupara to Kokilmoni

    Khepupara to Kokilmoni

    Leaving Dhaka, we spend an entire day getting to Khepupara in southern Bangladesh. Then we spent a long morning installing a GPS to monitor subsidence of the delta before heading back on the road again.

  • Launching the Season with a Key Mission – IceBridge Antarctica 2012

    Launching the Season with a Key Mission – IceBridge Antarctica 2012

    This month, IceBridge Antarctica resumes. The crews have spent the last few weeks in Palmdale, where the DC8 is based, for instrument installation and test flights prior to our move down to Punta Arenas, our home base for IceBridge Antarctica.

  • Influencing Students Towards a More Sustainable Path

    In a recent interview, Dr. Stuart Gaffin provided his thoughts on the direction that the field of sustainability is moving into. In his words, urban environmental research is the topic of the day: “Many cities, including New York, are putting ambitious plans in place to reduce emissions, and implement adaptation practices, including novel green infrastructure…

  • Applying Classroom Theory in the Forest

    Applying Classroom Theory in the Forest

    Under-graduate and graduate students from Columbia University joined professors Kevin Griffin and Matthew Palmer in September for the first of 10 field trips outside of the New York City area. Dr. Griffin and Dr. Palmer teach Forest Ecology, a course that combines classroom theory with hands-on experience and training in methods of ecological field work.

  • Watering the World’s Crops, Drop by Drop

    Watering the World’s Crops, Drop by Drop

    Dr. Daniel Hillel was recently honored with the World Food Prize for his pioneering work in sustainable agriculture.

  • The Truth About Verification

    The Truth About Verification

    The December 2011 precipitation forecast issued by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society called for a 75 percent chance of above normal precipitation over parts of the Philippines between January and March. As the months played out, storms brought roughly eight inches more rain than usual for the period. That’s about 85 percent…

  • Faculty Profile: Lynnette Widder

    Faculty Profile: Lynnette Widder

    Master of Science in Sustainability Management (MSSM) professor Lynnette Widder has over fifteen years of experience teaching design, conducting seminars, and organizing architectural excursions for architecture students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is the Principal and Co-founder of aardvarchitecture, a small architectural practice that specializes in residential work with an emphasis on high-quality…

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

  • Millennium City and Millennium Village Students ‘Stand Up for Girls’ on International Day of the Girl

    Millennium City and Millennium Village Students ‘Stand Up for Girls’ on International Day of the Girl

    In sub-Saharan Africa, only 63 percent of girls complete their schooling, according to the World Bank. Yet our own research in the Millennium Cities indicates that girls who continue their education will have far greater opportunities, and they will be in a better position to care for themselves and their families. To celebrate the United…

  • Polder 32

    Polder 32

    Polder 32 is one of the many inland islands in Bangladesh that was enclosed by an embankment to protect it from flooding. When that embankment failed during Cyclone Aila in 2009, the island was flooded for almost 2 years. Subsidence of the ground inside the embankment with no sedimentation to compensate made it worse. We…

  • Khepupara to Kokilmoni

    Khepupara to Kokilmoni

    Leaving Dhaka, we spend an entire day getting to Khepupara in southern Bangladesh. Then we spent a long morning installing a GPS to monitor subsidence of the delta before heading back on the road again.

  • Launching the Season with a Key Mission – IceBridge Antarctica 2012

    Launching the Season with a Key Mission – IceBridge Antarctica 2012

    This month, IceBridge Antarctica resumes. The crews have spent the last few weeks in Palmdale, where the DC8 is based, for instrument installation and test flights prior to our move down to Punta Arenas, our home base for IceBridge Antarctica.

  • Influencing Students Towards a More Sustainable Path

    In a recent interview, Dr. Stuart Gaffin provided his thoughts on the direction that the field of sustainability is moving into. In his words, urban environmental research is the topic of the day: “Many cities, including New York, are putting ambitious plans in place to reduce emissions, and implement adaptation practices, including novel green infrastructure…

  • Applying Classroom Theory in the Forest

    Applying Classroom Theory in the Forest

    Under-graduate and graduate students from Columbia University joined professors Kevin Griffin and Matthew Palmer in September for the first of 10 field trips outside of the New York City area. Dr. Griffin and Dr. Palmer teach Forest Ecology, a course that combines classroom theory with hands-on experience and training in methods of ecological field work.

  • Watering the World’s Crops, Drop by Drop

    Watering the World’s Crops, Drop by Drop

    Dr. Daniel Hillel was recently honored with the World Food Prize for his pioneering work in sustainable agriculture.

  • The Truth About Verification

    The Truth About Verification

    The December 2011 precipitation forecast issued by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society called for a 75 percent chance of above normal precipitation over parts of the Philippines between January and March. As the months played out, storms brought roughly eight inches more rain than usual for the period. That’s about 85 percent…

  • Faculty Profile: Lynnette Widder

    Faculty Profile: Lynnette Widder

    Master of Science in Sustainability Management (MSSM) professor Lynnette Widder has over fifteen years of experience teaching design, conducting seminars, and organizing architectural excursions for architecture students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is the Principal and Co-founder of aardvarchitecture, a small architectural practice that specializes in residential work with an emphasis on high-quality…