State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

20146

  • NYC, Gulf Coast Teens Talk About Life After Disaster

    NYC, Gulf Coast Teens Talk About Life After Disaster

    At the two-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, high school students in New York City posed questions about life during and after a catastrophe to a very particular group of experts – high school students in the Gulf Coast who had experienced the BP oil spill and had lived through as many as six hurricanes in…

  • Ancestors

    Ancestors

    We are high mountain people, hunters and artists, Our view from this base camp is brilliant and clear. Cold, thin air sweeps the rocky plateau; You need a strong heart to live here.

  • Lessons From Germany: Can the US Succeed With Its Own Energiewende?

    Lessons From Germany: Can the US Succeed With Its Own Energiewende?

    Last month, M.S. in Sustainability Management alum Katrina Prutzman (’14) was selected to be a part of the Transatlantic Program for Young Technology Leaders organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce. As a member of this group, Katrina took part in a delegation trip to Germany in which attendees focused on the theme of…

  • Agreement with NY State Protects Black Rock Forest

    Agreement with NY State Protects Black Rock Forest

    New York State will acquire a conservation easement for the Black Rock Forest, protecting the 3,800-acre preserve 50 miles north of New York City for both public use and scientific research.

  • Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    According to the World Water Management Institute, over one-third of the human population is affected by water scarcity. Advances in physical understanding, its applications, and the study of our environment and bio-mimicry help us develop more effective ways to fight freshwater scarcity around the world.

  • Faculty Profile: Sara Tjossem

    Faculty Profile: Sara Tjossem

    For Sara Tjossem, a Senior Lecturer at the School of International and Public Affairs, the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program is an exciting opportunity for her to engage with tomorrow’s environmental leaders. Tjossem says one of her favorite parts of the program is watching students form professional and personal connections they may not…

  • Alma Mater’s Other Secret: a Way Forward on Climate

    Alma Mater’s Other Secret: a Way Forward on Climate

    Sitting on the iconic front steps of Low Library, Alma Mater rests on a plinth that offers a clue to a possible method of carbon sequestration, a vital technology for addressing our problem of too much CO2.

  • An Evening with the Writers of the Clean Air Act: Insight into the ‘Golden Age’ of Environmental Law

    An Evening with the Writers of the Clean Air Act: Insight into the ‘Golden Age’ of Environmental Law

    At a panel discussion this week, Leon Billings and Thomas Jorling, two senior staff members who helped craft the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other major environmental legislation in the 1970s, spoke about the bipartisan effort to pass that legislation, and the partisan divide that stymies Congress today.

  • The Ebola Crisis: What It Means for West Africa and the World

    The Ebola Crisis: What It Means for West Africa and the World

    “The Ebola epidemic … should be viewed akin to a world war whose outcome matters crucially for all of us,” said Dr. Ranu Dhillon; he and other health experts will speak at a forum on Ebola at Columbia University Monday.

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

  • NYC, Gulf Coast Teens Talk About Life After Disaster

    NYC, Gulf Coast Teens Talk About Life After Disaster

    At the two-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, high school students in New York City posed questions about life during and after a catastrophe to a very particular group of experts – high school students in the Gulf Coast who had experienced the BP oil spill and had lived through as many as six hurricanes in…

  • Ancestors

    Ancestors

    We are high mountain people, hunters and artists, Our view from this base camp is brilliant and clear. Cold, thin air sweeps the rocky plateau; You need a strong heart to live here.

  • Lessons From Germany: Can the US Succeed With Its Own Energiewende?

    Lessons From Germany: Can the US Succeed With Its Own Energiewende?

    Last month, M.S. in Sustainability Management alum Katrina Prutzman (’14) was selected to be a part of the Transatlantic Program for Young Technology Leaders organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce. As a member of this group, Katrina took part in a delegation trip to Germany in which attendees focused on the theme of…

  • Agreement with NY State Protects Black Rock Forest

    Agreement with NY State Protects Black Rock Forest

    New York State will acquire a conservation easement for the Black Rock Forest, protecting the 3,800-acre preserve 50 miles north of New York City for both public use and scientific research.

  • Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    According to the World Water Management Institute, over one-third of the human population is affected by water scarcity. Advances in physical understanding, its applications, and the study of our environment and bio-mimicry help us develop more effective ways to fight freshwater scarcity around the world.

  • Faculty Profile: Sara Tjossem

    Faculty Profile: Sara Tjossem

    For Sara Tjossem, a Senior Lecturer at the School of International and Public Affairs, the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program is an exciting opportunity for her to engage with tomorrow’s environmental leaders. Tjossem says one of her favorite parts of the program is watching students form professional and personal connections they may not…

  • Alma Mater’s Other Secret: a Way Forward on Climate

    Alma Mater’s Other Secret: a Way Forward on Climate

    Sitting on the iconic front steps of Low Library, Alma Mater rests on a plinth that offers a clue to a possible method of carbon sequestration, a vital technology for addressing our problem of too much CO2.

  • An Evening with the Writers of the Clean Air Act: Insight into the ‘Golden Age’ of Environmental Law

    An Evening with the Writers of the Clean Air Act: Insight into the ‘Golden Age’ of Environmental Law

    At a panel discussion this week, Leon Billings and Thomas Jorling, two senior staff members who helped craft the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other major environmental legislation in the 1970s, spoke about the bipartisan effort to pass that legislation, and the partisan divide that stymies Congress today.

  • The Ebola Crisis: What It Means for West Africa and the World

    The Ebola Crisis: What It Means for West Africa and the World

    “The Ebola epidemic … should be viewed akin to a world war whose outcome matters crucially for all of us,” said Dr. Ranu Dhillon; he and other health experts will speak at a forum on Ebola at Columbia University Monday.