State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201442

  • Student Profile: Carlos Calvo Ambel

    Student Profile: Carlos Calvo Ambel

    Despite a wealth of professional experience in the environmental field, Carlos Calvo Ambel was sent by the government of Andalusia in Spain, through a program called “Talentia,” to join the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy Class of 2011. Carlos chose Columbia University and the program in Environmental Science and Policy run…

  • ESP Program Prepares Student for Career in Wildlife Conservation

    ESP Program Prepares Student for Career in Wildlife Conservation

    Having worked at the Assistant Editor of Sanctuary Asia, an Indian wildlife magazine, co-founded the 2041 Antarctic Youth Ambassador Programme, and volunteered with the Indian Youth Climate Network, current MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) student Swati Hingorani (’14) has always had a passion for environmental issues. As she looks forward to her graduation…

  • Student Profile: Mame Baba Cisse

    Student Profile: Mame Baba Cisse

    Mame Baba Cisse was inspired by one of the Intergovernental Panel on Climate Change’s predictions about global temperature increases to learn more about how such assessments are created and how they can be made more effective. This led him to enroll in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (M.P.A. E.S.P.) program…

  • Student Profile: Josh Browne

    Student Profile: Josh Browne

    As a NASCAR racecar-engineer and crew-chief Josh Browne’s work clothes included fire-retardant suits and a two-way radio headset. Today, a decade after he started with NASCAR, Josh is a student in the 12-month Master of Arts Program in Climate and Society (C and S) and dresses accordingly. Despite his fascination with racecars, Josh was an…

  • Public Schools Lead Charge for Environmental Reform

    Public Schools Lead Charge for Environmental Reform

    School lunches are about to be carried in a brand new way. According to a recent article in The New York Times, six major urban public schools systems in New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Dallas (collectively known as The Urban School Food Alliance) aim to make school lunches more sustainable. The goal…

  • Global Online Course Taught by Jeffrey Sachs to Focus on ‘The Age of Sustainable Development’

    Free 14-Week Class Will Begin on Jan. 21

  • Student Profile: Emily Soergel

    Student Profile: Emily Soergel

    After working with communities in developing areas to reduce, reuse and recycle, Emily Soergel is witness to the power of collective community engagement in promoting the creation of effective strategies to cope with environmental challenges. A member of the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (M.P.A. E.S.P.) Class of 2010, Soergel’s work…

  • Student Profile: Bonita Treinen

    Student Profile: Bonita Treinen

    During a seven-year career in international education—on a path that took her from Poland to Thailand to Spain and on to China before eventually returning to the United States—Bonita Treinen, a native of rural Minnesota and Wisconsin, took time off in every country where she worked to travel to rural areas and observe the challenges…

  • SurTab Tablets and Mobile Phone Technology’s Impact on Development in Haiti

    SurTab Tablets and Mobile Phone Technology’s Impact on Development in Haiti

    The Haiti Research and Policy Program at the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development concluded the Fall 2013 Dialogue Series with guest Maarten Boute, CEO of SurTab Haiti, the first Android tablet manufacturing company in Haiti. Boute is the former CEO of Digicel Haiti, a mobile phone network provider currently operating in 31 markets across…

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

  • Student Profile: Carlos Calvo Ambel

    Student Profile: Carlos Calvo Ambel

    Despite a wealth of professional experience in the environmental field, Carlos Calvo Ambel was sent by the government of Andalusia in Spain, through a program called “Talentia,” to join the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy Class of 2011. Carlos chose Columbia University and the program in Environmental Science and Policy run…

  • ESP Program Prepares Student for Career in Wildlife Conservation

    ESP Program Prepares Student for Career in Wildlife Conservation

    Having worked at the Assistant Editor of Sanctuary Asia, an Indian wildlife magazine, co-founded the 2041 Antarctic Youth Ambassador Programme, and volunteered with the Indian Youth Climate Network, current MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) student Swati Hingorani (’14) has always had a passion for environmental issues. As she looks forward to her graduation…

  • Student Profile: Mame Baba Cisse

    Student Profile: Mame Baba Cisse

    Mame Baba Cisse was inspired by one of the Intergovernental Panel on Climate Change’s predictions about global temperature increases to learn more about how such assessments are created and how they can be made more effective. This led him to enroll in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (M.P.A. E.S.P.) program…

  • Student Profile: Josh Browne

    Student Profile: Josh Browne

    As a NASCAR racecar-engineer and crew-chief Josh Browne’s work clothes included fire-retardant suits and a two-way radio headset. Today, a decade after he started with NASCAR, Josh is a student in the 12-month Master of Arts Program in Climate and Society (C and S) and dresses accordingly. Despite his fascination with racecars, Josh was an…

  • Public Schools Lead Charge for Environmental Reform

    Public Schools Lead Charge for Environmental Reform

    School lunches are about to be carried in a brand new way. According to a recent article in The New York Times, six major urban public schools systems in New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Dallas (collectively known as The Urban School Food Alliance) aim to make school lunches more sustainable. The goal…

  • Global Online Course Taught by Jeffrey Sachs to Focus on ‘The Age of Sustainable Development’

    Free 14-Week Class Will Begin on Jan. 21

  • Student Profile: Emily Soergel

    Student Profile: Emily Soergel

    After working with communities in developing areas to reduce, reuse and recycle, Emily Soergel is witness to the power of collective community engagement in promoting the creation of effective strategies to cope with environmental challenges. A member of the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (M.P.A. E.S.P.) Class of 2010, Soergel’s work…

  • Student Profile: Bonita Treinen

    Student Profile: Bonita Treinen

    During a seven-year career in international education—on a path that took her from Poland to Thailand to Spain and on to China before eventually returning to the United States—Bonita Treinen, a native of rural Minnesota and Wisconsin, took time off in every country where she worked to travel to rural areas and observe the challenges…

  • SurTab Tablets and Mobile Phone Technology’s Impact on Development in Haiti

    SurTab Tablets and Mobile Phone Technology’s Impact on Development in Haiti

    The Haiti Research and Policy Program at the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development concluded the Fall 2013 Dialogue Series with guest Maarten Boute, CEO of SurTab Haiti, the first Android tablet manufacturing company in Haiti. Boute is the former CEO of Digicel Haiti, a mobile phone network provider currently operating in 31 markets across…