201216
-
Nature’s Toxic Crusaders
Can mushrooms help clean up oil spills? Can oysters filter sewage pollution? Industrial waste is being injected into the planet’s soil and water as a result of human activity. Pioneers in the field of conservation and sustainability are employing nature’s own biological task force to help clean up.
-
Faculty Profile: Ariane van Buren
MS in Sustainability Management Professor Ariane van Buren is a newly appointed faculty member at Columbia University, with projected cross-appointments in Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, School of Continuing Education, and the Earth Institute. She held the first-ever position in shareholder accountability for corporate sustainability management, and then recruited trustees of the largest…
-
Rainfall and Human Vulnerability in the Context of Climate Change
The impact of climate variability on predominantly rain-fed agrarian economies can be seen in Tanzania, where GDP is closely tied to variations in rainfall.
-
How a Pigeon Saved the Buffalo
Scientists are close to restoring the extinct passenger pigeon and along with it her native habitat.
-
Newtown Creek Clean-Up Polluting the Air, Researchers Say
A city effort to clean-up polluted Newtown Creek by aerating the water to boost oxygen levels is having an unintended effect: it is releasing sewage bacteria and other particles into the air above the site, researchers say in a new study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The researchers found bacteria types in the…
-
The Criminalization of Anti-Mining Social Protest in Peru
In Africa, Asia and Latin America, the development of the mining industry has often been accompanied by violence and community-led social protest. To halt these protests, young democratic institutions have, in various cases, turned to authoritarian dogmas. Researcher Dr. Triscritti illustrates how in Peru these practices are decreasing the chances of reaching durable and peaceful…
-
MPA Student Builds Basis for Policymaking
Prior to joining the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program (MPA-ESP), current student Max Litt was working for the New York Restoration Project (NYRP), an environmental non-profit founded by actress Bette Midler to revitalize underserved parks and public spaces. Max’s experience on the operational side of environmental policy motivated him to enroll in the…
-
Epic Wetness in Greater NYC, and What Broadleaf Trees Have to Say About It
2012 is turning out to be an exceptional year in the eastern US. Starting out with what was essentially a #YearWithoutaWinter, followed by a heat wave in March, a hot summer, Macoun and Cortland apples coming in 2-3 weeks early, and the continuation of a severe drought in the Southern US that expanded into the Midwest…
-
How Green is Local Food?
Local food proponents often claim that food grown close to home helps prevent global warming because it requires less fossil fuels to transport, generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventionally produced food. But just how green is local food?
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
