State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201421

  • Back to Mount Chirripó

    Back to Mount Chirripó

    On their fifth day of fieldwork on Mount Chirripo, Lamont’s Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan encounter some deeply weathered boulders.

  • Study Charts Path to Low Carbon in Major Emitting Countries

    First Global Cooperative Effort Aims to Support UN Climate Talks

  • El Niño: The Basics

    El Niño: The Basics

    Forecasts suggest we’re looking ahead to an El Niño event this year—a warming of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean around the equator that can affect weather patterns around the globe. But what exactly is an El Niño event, how strong do forecasters think it’s likely to be, and just how will it affect our…

  • On the Road with Kate & Maddy: America Talks about Water

    On the Road with Kate & Maddy: America Talks about Water

    Both of us are interested in the intersection of the environment and public health, and we wanted to explore a public health issue about which we felt ignorant. Water kept coming up in our conversations, because we felt that while water is a global issue, it often gets overlooked domestically among our peers. As such,…

  • Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Across a mixed landscape, Au. sediba plods Sometimes on two feet, and sometimes on four, Munching on fruits and leguminous pods, Nuts and some seeds … C3 foods galore!

  • For a Wind-Powered City, Heat Pumps Are Key

    For a Wind-Powered City, Heat Pumps Are Key

    Replacing conventional building boilers with electric heat pumps in New York City buildings could substantially increase the viability of renewable energy use in the city, according to a recent study from researchers from the Earth Institute’s Sustainable Engineering Lab.

  • Our Fiscal Year Ends June 30: Donate Now to Help Us Finish Strong!

    Our Fiscal Year Ends June 30: Donate Now to Help Us Finish Strong!

    The end of our fiscal year is just one week away and we need your support more than ever. This year, the generosity of Earth Institute supporters allowed our award-winning scientists and researchers to pursue groundbreaking initiatives in the fields of earth and environmental sciences, ecology, engineering and architecture, law, medicine and public health, economics,…

  • MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Welcomes Class of 2015

    MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Welcomes Class of 2015

    The newest of class of students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program have arrived on the Columbia campus. Following their orientation on May 27, the students began their summer schedule full of science courses.

  • Ancient Ocean Currents May Have Changed Pacing and Intensity of Ice Ages

    Slowing of Currents May Have Flipped Switch, Says Study

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

  • Back to Mount Chirripó

    Back to Mount Chirripó

    On their fifth day of fieldwork on Mount Chirripo, Lamont’s Max Cunningham and Mike Kaplan encounter some deeply weathered boulders.

  • Study Charts Path to Low Carbon in Major Emitting Countries

    First Global Cooperative Effort Aims to Support UN Climate Talks

  • El Niño: The Basics

    El Niño: The Basics

    Forecasts suggest we’re looking ahead to an El Niño event this year—a warming of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean around the equator that can affect weather patterns around the globe. But what exactly is an El Niño event, how strong do forecasters think it’s likely to be, and just how will it affect our…

  • On the Road with Kate & Maddy: America Talks about Water

    On the Road with Kate & Maddy: America Talks about Water

    Both of us are interested in the intersection of the environment and public health, and we wanted to explore a public health issue about which we felt ignorant. Water kept coming up in our conversations, because we felt that while water is a global issue, it often gets overlooked domestically among our peers. As such,…

  • Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Across a mixed landscape, Au. sediba plods Sometimes on two feet, and sometimes on four, Munching on fruits and leguminous pods, Nuts and some seeds … C3 foods galore!

  • For a Wind-Powered City, Heat Pumps Are Key

    For a Wind-Powered City, Heat Pumps Are Key

    Replacing conventional building boilers with electric heat pumps in New York City buildings could substantially increase the viability of renewable energy use in the city, according to a recent study from researchers from the Earth Institute’s Sustainable Engineering Lab.

  • Our Fiscal Year Ends June 30: Donate Now to Help Us Finish Strong!

    Our Fiscal Year Ends June 30: Donate Now to Help Us Finish Strong!

    The end of our fiscal year is just one week away and we need your support more than ever. This year, the generosity of Earth Institute supporters allowed our award-winning scientists and researchers to pursue groundbreaking initiatives in the fields of earth and environmental sciences, ecology, engineering and architecture, law, medicine and public health, economics,…

  • MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Welcomes Class of 2015

    MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Welcomes Class of 2015

    The newest of class of students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program have arrived on the Columbia campus. Following their orientation on May 27, the students began their summer schedule full of science courses.

  • Ancient Ocean Currents May Have Changed Pacing and Intensity of Ice Ages

    Slowing of Currents May Have Flipped Switch, Says Study