State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201514

  • Bangladesh and India, Too

    Bangladesh and India, Too

    Returning to Bangladesh for additional fieldwork, I stopped off in India for several meetings, but we found time for some sightseeing, too. We were able to see the Qutub Minar complex in Delhi as well as the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in Agra. Plus all the meetings in Delhi, Kolkata and Dhaka were very…

  • SIPA Students Host Discussion on Climate Change and Divestment

    SIPA Students Host Discussion on Climate Change and Divestment

    In an event jointly hosted by Columbia Divest for Climate Justice and the SIPA Environmental Coalition, students heard three prominent voices in climate science and action: Professor Maureen Raymo from the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, author and activist Bill McKibben and Peggy Shepard, founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice.

  • What Are Those Phytoplankton Up To? Genetics Holds Some Clues

    What Are Those Phytoplankton Up To? Genetics Holds Some Clues

    What will happen to phytoplankton as the oceans warm, carbon dioxide levels rise, and nutrients become scarce? The answer matters to the oxygen we breathe.

  • Sustainability Has Entered the Political Mainstream

    Environmental protection and economic development have been integrated into the single overarching idea of “sustainability.” These are centrist public policy positions in the mainstream of politics here in New York State.

  • Study Sees Powerful Winds Carving Away Antarctic Snow

    Findings May Boost Estimates of Contributions to Sea Level

  • Anatomy of an ‘Ice Station’

    Anatomy of an ‘Ice Station’

    Completing an “Ice Station” means collecting samples over a wide range of Arctic water and ice conditions. Each station means a major orchestration of people and resources.

  • Faculty Profile:  Patricia Culligan

    Faculty Profile: Patricia Culligan

    Patricia Culligan’s intellectual trajectory should be an inspiration to anyone who spends their life wondering what they want to be when they grow up. Culligan began her journey by specializing in soil mechanics in her undergraduate years because “soil mechanics felt like one of the civil engineering subjects I was studying where, because natural materials…

  • Cuomo’s Commitment to Addressing Climate Change

    Cuomo’s Commitment to Addressing Climate Change

    New York State has taken a progressive stand on climate change, pushing for renewable energy development and promising to curb greenhouse gas emissions. On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, joined by Vice President Al Gore at Columbia University, announced several new actions to increase New York State’s commitment to fighting climate change.

  • A Game of Strategy and Survival in the High Arctic

    A Game of Strategy and Survival in the High Arctic

    EcoChains: Arctic Crisis is a card game for ages 10 and up that challenges players to strategically manage the Arctic marine ecosystem as climate changes, while they learn about the potential impacts of future changes.

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

  • Bangladesh and India, Too

    Bangladesh and India, Too

    Returning to Bangladesh for additional fieldwork, I stopped off in India for several meetings, but we found time for some sightseeing, too. We were able to see the Qutub Minar complex in Delhi as well as the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in Agra. Plus all the meetings in Delhi, Kolkata and Dhaka were very…

  • SIPA Students Host Discussion on Climate Change and Divestment

    SIPA Students Host Discussion on Climate Change and Divestment

    In an event jointly hosted by Columbia Divest for Climate Justice and the SIPA Environmental Coalition, students heard three prominent voices in climate science and action: Professor Maureen Raymo from the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, author and activist Bill McKibben and Peggy Shepard, founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice.

  • What Are Those Phytoplankton Up To? Genetics Holds Some Clues

    What Are Those Phytoplankton Up To? Genetics Holds Some Clues

    What will happen to phytoplankton as the oceans warm, carbon dioxide levels rise, and nutrients become scarce? The answer matters to the oxygen we breathe.

  • Sustainability Has Entered the Political Mainstream

    Environmental protection and economic development have been integrated into the single overarching idea of “sustainability.” These are centrist public policy positions in the mainstream of politics here in New York State.

  • Study Sees Powerful Winds Carving Away Antarctic Snow

    Findings May Boost Estimates of Contributions to Sea Level

  • Anatomy of an ‘Ice Station’

    Anatomy of an ‘Ice Station’

    Completing an “Ice Station” means collecting samples over a wide range of Arctic water and ice conditions. Each station means a major orchestration of people and resources.

  • Faculty Profile:  Patricia Culligan

    Faculty Profile: Patricia Culligan

    Patricia Culligan’s intellectual trajectory should be an inspiration to anyone who spends their life wondering what they want to be when they grow up. Culligan began her journey by specializing in soil mechanics in her undergraduate years because “soil mechanics felt like one of the civil engineering subjects I was studying where, because natural materials…

  • Cuomo’s Commitment to Addressing Climate Change

    Cuomo’s Commitment to Addressing Climate Change

    New York State has taken a progressive stand on climate change, pushing for renewable energy development and promising to curb greenhouse gas emissions. On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, joined by Vice President Al Gore at Columbia University, announced several new actions to increase New York State’s commitment to fighting climate change.

  • A Game of Strategy and Survival in the High Arctic

    A Game of Strategy and Survival in the High Arctic

    EcoChains: Arctic Crisis is a card game for ages 10 and up that challenges players to strategically manage the Arctic marine ecosystem as climate changes, while they learn about the potential impacts of future changes.