State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201229

  • Fresh Evidence of Life on Mars?

    Fresh Evidence of Life on Mars?

    In a landscape shaped by wind and water, is it possible that microbial life was found on Mars in 1976? A new paper indicates life may be present, and a new mission to Mars may confirm the results.

  • Capstone Workshop and Bangladesh Presentations 2012

    Capstone Workshop and Bangladesh Presentations 2012

    By: Deborah Sachare Students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development gathered at the end of the spring semester as part of the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development, to present their final recommendations to clients and members of the Columbia University community. The goal of the workshop is to bring together the theoretical and environmental…

  • Architecture and Urban Design Students Present Innovative Upgrading Plans for a Millennium City

    Architecture and Urban Design Students Present Innovative Upgrading Plans for a Millennium City

    Graduate students in architecture and urban design recently presented their findings and design work issuing out of a collaboration between the Urban Design Lab (UDL) and MCI in the Millennium City of Kumasi, Ghana. At the city’s invitation, and with MCI’s facilitation, the UDL came to Kumasi in early February, to devise solutions to revitalize…

  • Unique Career Path: Utah Ski Slopes to NYC Sustainability Consulting and Columbia

    Unique Career Path: Utah Ski Slopes to NYC Sustainability Consulting and Columbia

    Josh Rosenfield has an ambitious and admirable career mission: “helping companies to generate healthy profits by meeting society’s needs and conserving nature.” He chose the MS in Sustainability Management program because it allowed him to study part-time and continue his work with Deloitte’s Global Sustainability and Climate Change Services team. “I believe that having a…

  • The ‘Glory’ in Clouds and Other Amazing Sights!

    The ‘Glory’ in Clouds and Other Amazing Sights!

    If you look carefully at the picture below you will see a small shadow of our plane completely encircled in a rainbow. This optical phenomenon, called a “glory,” can develop when the plane flies directly between the sun and a cloud below. Flying over the ice sheet in the far northeast of Greenland we saw…

  • Under Arctic Ice: Watch the Video

    Under Arctic Ice: Watch the Video

    The video depicts the activities of the LDEO Switchyard field team, which deploys annually and uses ski-equipped aircraft to reach a series of sample sites between the North Pole and Ellesmere Island in Canada.

  • Turning Concern into Action: 12 Ways to Combat Climate Change

    Turning Concern into Action: 12 Ways to Combat Climate Change

    With the incidence of extreme weather on the increase, concern about global warming is also growing. This concern needs to be turned into action—whether local, regional or national. Here are a dozen ways to take action.

  • Regional Partnership Promotes Trade and Investment in Three Sub-Saharan Cities

    Regional Partnership Promotes Trade and Investment in Three Sub-Saharan Cities

    MCI’s Regional Partnership to Promote Trade and Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa held its regional meeting May 7-9, in Mekelle, Ethiopia, where delegations from the three participating Millennium Cities were able to hold extended, frank discussions with their colleagues and with private sector investors, who did not hesitate to describe precisely what it is that local…

  • Congratulations to the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy Class of 2012

    Congratulations to the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy Class of 2012

    Students from the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program commemorated their graduation from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) on May 17 at a pre-ceremony breakfast reception, followed by a commencement ceremony on campus.

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

  • Fresh Evidence of Life on Mars?

    Fresh Evidence of Life on Mars?

    In a landscape shaped by wind and water, is it possible that microbial life was found on Mars in 1976? A new paper indicates life may be present, and a new mission to Mars may confirm the results.

  • Capstone Workshop and Bangladesh Presentations 2012

    Capstone Workshop and Bangladesh Presentations 2012

    By: Deborah Sachare Students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development gathered at the end of the spring semester as part of the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development, to present their final recommendations to clients and members of the Columbia University community. The goal of the workshop is to bring together the theoretical and environmental…

  • Architecture and Urban Design Students Present Innovative Upgrading Plans for a Millennium City

    Architecture and Urban Design Students Present Innovative Upgrading Plans for a Millennium City

    Graduate students in architecture and urban design recently presented their findings and design work issuing out of a collaboration between the Urban Design Lab (UDL) and MCI in the Millennium City of Kumasi, Ghana. At the city’s invitation, and with MCI’s facilitation, the UDL came to Kumasi in early February, to devise solutions to revitalize…

  • Unique Career Path: Utah Ski Slopes to NYC Sustainability Consulting and Columbia

    Unique Career Path: Utah Ski Slopes to NYC Sustainability Consulting and Columbia

    Josh Rosenfield has an ambitious and admirable career mission: “helping companies to generate healthy profits by meeting society’s needs and conserving nature.” He chose the MS in Sustainability Management program because it allowed him to study part-time and continue his work with Deloitte’s Global Sustainability and Climate Change Services team. “I believe that having a…

  • The ‘Glory’ in Clouds and Other Amazing Sights!

    The ‘Glory’ in Clouds and Other Amazing Sights!

    If you look carefully at the picture below you will see a small shadow of our plane completely encircled in a rainbow. This optical phenomenon, called a “glory,” can develop when the plane flies directly between the sun and a cloud below. Flying over the ice sheet in the far northeast of Greenland we saw…

  • Under Arctic Ice: Watch the Video

    Under Arctic Ice: Watch the Video

    The video depicts the activities of the LDEO Switchyard field team, which deploys annually and uses ski-equipped aircraft to reach a series of sample sites between the North Pole and Ellesmere Island in Canada.

  • Turning Concern into Action: 12 Ways to Combat Climate Change

    Turning Concern into Action: 12 Ways to Combat Climate Change

    With the incidence of extreme weather on the increase, concern about global warming is also growing. This concern needs to be turned into action—whether local, regional or national. Here are a dozen ways to take action.

  • Regional Partnership Promotes Trade and Investment in Three Sub-Saharan Cities

    Regional Partnership Promotes Trade and Investment in Three Sub-Saharan Cities

    MCI’s Regional Partnership to Promote Trade and Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa held its regional meeting May 7-9, in Mekelle, Ethiopia, where delegations from the three participating Millennium Cities were able to hold extended, frank discussions with their colleagues and with private sector investors, who did not hesitate to describe precisely what it is that local…

  • Congratulations to the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy Class of 2012

    Congratulations to the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy Class of 2012

    Students from the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program commemorated their graduation from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) on May 17 at a pre-ceremony breakfast reception, followed by a commencement ceremony on campus.