State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201220

  • Cities Are Where the Action Is, Post-Rio

    Cities Are Where the Action Is, Post-Rio

    Representatives of the worlds’ cities came to Rio in June for a series of events focused on the problems pressing in on the burgeoning urban population. Mayors around the world already are working on solutions and came out of Rio with concrete commitments for the future.

  • Household Survey in Kenya Lays Groundwork for Fight Against Poverty

    Household Survey in Kenya Lays Groundwork for Fight Against Poverty

    A new survey conducted in three informal settlements in Kisumu, Kenya, examined poverty at the household level, gleaning information on the quality of life experienced by individuals living in such settlements. A follow-up workshop gave researchers a chance to share the information with local residents and hear their thoughts on the needs of poor neighborhoods.

  • Building a New Model for Development with the Honduran Government

    Building a New Model for Development with the Honduran Government

    Together with the Honduran government, the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development and Earth Institute colleagues will design a sustainable development plan that tackles agriculture, education, health, energy, climate change mitigation and business development to address the root causes of poverty in Golfo de Fonseca.

  • Join us for the MPA Workshop Final Briefings

    Join us for the MPA Workshop Final Briefings

    Please join us for the Summer Workshop final briefings for the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy program at Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs. This will be a unique opportunity to expose yourself to research our students have been conducting this semester. The briefings will be held on Wednesday, August 15 from…

  • MPA Students Learn about Urban Ecosystems in NYC Parks

    MPA Students Learn about Urban Ecosystems in NYC Parks

    On Friday, July 27, the students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program took a field trip to Randall’s Island and Bronx River Park. The trip was organized and led by Columbia Professor Matthew Palmer who teaches Principles of Ecology and Urban Ecology during the program’s summer semester.

  • UN Secretary General Names EI Director Jeffrey Sachs to Lead Sustainability Project

    UN Secretary General Names EI Director Jeffrey Sachs to Lead Sustainability Project

    The Sustainable Development Solutions Network will bring together public and private research centers to address some of the urgent social, environmental and economic problems raised during the recent Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

  • The New Climate Dice: The Odds Have Shifted to Hot

    The New Climate Dice: The Odds Have Shifted to Hot

    This year’s Midwest heat wave and some other recent extreme weather events are no fluke of nature, but a consequence of a warming planet, according to an analysis of climate data by NASA scientists.

  • Faculty Profile: Adela Gondek

    Faculty Profile: Adela Gondek

    MS in Sustainability Management professor Adela Gondek has taught at Columbia University for over twenty years, with cross-disciplinary appointments Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, School of Continuing Education, and the Earth Institute. She has designed and taught ethics courses with distinct emphases on sustainability, environmentalism, public leadership and organizational management and will be…

  • Cold Spell Gripped Europe 3,000 Years before ‘Little Ice Age,’ Says Study

    Cold Spell Gripped Europe 3,000 Years before ‘Little Ice Age,’ Says Study

    Human civilization arose during the relatively balmy climate of the last 10,000 years. Even so, evidence is accumulating that at least two cold spells gripped the northern hemisphere during this time, and that the cooling may have coincided with drought in the tropics. Emerging research on climate during this Holocene period suggests that temperature swings…

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

  • Cities Are Where the Action Is, Post-Rio

    Cities Are Where the Action Is, Post-Rio

    Representatives of the worlds’ cities came to Rio in June for a series of events focused on the problems pressing in on the burgeoning urban population. Mayors around the world already are working on solutions and came out of Rio with concrete commitments for the future.

  • Household Survey in Kenya Lays Groundwork for Fight Against Poverty

    Household Survey in Kenya Lays Groundwork for Fight Against Poverty

    A new survey conducted in three informal settlements in Kisumu, Kenya, examined poverty at the household level, gleaning information on the quality of life experienced by individuals living in such settlements. A follow-up workshop gave researchers a chance to share the information with local residents and hear their thoughts on the needs of poor neighborhoods.

  • Building a New Model for Development with the Honduran Government

    Building a New Model for Development with the Honduran Government

    Together with the Honduran government, the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development and Earth Institute colleagues will design a sustainable development plan that tackles agriculture, education, health, energy, climate change mitigation and business development to address the root causes of poverty in Golfo de Fonseca.

  • Join us for the MPA Workshop Final Briefings

    Join us for the MPA Workshop Final Briefings

    Please join us for the Summer Workshop final briefings for the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy program at Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs. This will be a unique opportunity to expose yourself to research our students have been conducting this semester. The briefings will be held on Wednesday, August 15 from…

  • MPA Students Learn about Urban Ecosystems in NYC Parks

    MPA Students Learn about Urban Ecosystems in NYC Parks

    On Friday, July 27, the students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program took a field trip to Randall’s Island and Bronx River Park. The trip was organized and led by Columbia Professor Matthew Palmer who teaches Principles of Ecology and Urban Ecology during the program’s summer semester.

  • UN Secretary General Names EI Director Jeffrey Sachs to Lead Sustainability Project

    UN Secretary General Names EI Director Jeffrey Sachs to Lead Sustainability Project

    The Sustainable Development Solutions Network will bring together public and private research centers to address some of the urgent social, environmental and economic problems raised during the recent Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

  • The New Climate Dice: The Odds Have Shifted to Hot

    The New Climate Dice: The Odds Have Shifted to Hot

    This year’s Midwest heat wave and some other recent extreme weather events are no fluke of nature, but a consequence of a warming planet, according to an analysis of climate data by NASA scientists.

  • Faculty Profile: Adela Gondek

    Faculty Profile: Adela Gondek

    MS in Sustainability Management professor Adela Gondek has taught at Columbia University for over twenty years, with cross-disciplinary appointments Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, School of Continuing Education, and the Earth Institute. She has designed and taught ethics courses with distinct emphases on sustainability, environmentalism, public leadership and organizational management and will be…

  • Cold Spell Gripped Europe 3,000 Years before ‘Little Ice Age,’ Says Study

    Cold Spell Gripped Europe 3,000 Years before ‘Little Ice Age,’ Says Study

    Human civilization arose during the relatively balmy climate of the last 10,000 years. Even so, evidence is accumulating that at least two cold spells gripped the northern hemisphere during this time, and that the cooling may have coincided with drought in the tropics. Emerging research on climate during this Holocene period suggests that temperature swings…