201236
-
World Climate Policies: Substantial Progress But Enormous Challenges Remain
Recent analysis by Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisory (DBCCA) in conjunction with the Columbia Climate Center, shows that the existing world climate policies have the potential to substantially reduce CO2 emissions, but are not aggressive enough to meet the suggested 450 ppm stabilization pathways.
-
Healthy Oceans: Charting A New Course
Leading up to Rio+20, on April 25th the United Nations hosted “Healthy Oceans: Charting A New Course,” a panel discussion which brought together a range of experts to discuss the fate of the world’s oceans and what can be done to protect them.
-
Why I Care About the Bottom of the Ocean
It is the middle of the night and I am wide awake thinking about the ocean, specifically the bottom of the ocean. Is it rocky? Jumbled? Smooth? Rocky is bad. Jumbled is bad. Smooth is good.
-
Clues to Sea Level Rise Are Hidden In and Below Greenland’s Ice
Greenland is surrounded by a ring of high mountains that work like fingers encircling the ice to hold it in place. Ice sliding from between these “fingers” into the surrounding waters results in a major human impact – Sea Level Rise.
-
Passing Through
The sun rose above the back decks this morning as we traveled towards Pavlof Bay for our station. As we made our way through the Aleutian Islands, the peaks of active volcanoes Mount Pavlof and Pavlof’s Sister became visible above the clouds. The Aleutians are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, home to about…
-
Warming and the Water Cycle: More than Just a Faster Wetter Wet and Drier Dry
One of the most serious consequences of global warming is its predicted impact on the water cycle. A new study, described below, presents evidence that the global water cycle is changing even faster than predicted. A further concern is that future rainfall patterns may be extremely variable in both space and time. As the atmosphere…
-
For Better or for Worse: A Decade of Global Environmental Performance Trends Examined
The Pilot Trend Environmental Performance Index (Trend EPI) ranks countries on improvement or decline in their environmental performance, over the past decade.
-
Population, Consumption and the Future
As the world population grows toward 10 billion, consumption of water, food and energy is expanding at a rate that cannot be maintained without depleting the planet’s resources. If we fail to address these two issues together, we face a grim future of economic, social and environmental ills, warns a new report prepared by a…
-
New Book Teaches How to Think like a Geologist
Geologists really do see the world differently, whether it’s imagining the ancient processes that give rise to mountains or untangling the complexities that produce weather. A new book, co-edited by Lamont scientist Kim Kastens, explores the ways that geologists analyze and understand the earth system, and offers tips for those seeking to better understand it.
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
