State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201615

  • Faculty Profile: Ruth DeFries

    Faculty Profile: Ruth DeFries

    What can satellite imagery tell us about the impact of humanity’s transformation of the landscape on climate and ecosystems? A lot, according to Ruth DeFries, ecosystems expert, Denning Professor of Sustainable Development, and professor of ecology, evolution, and environmental biology at Columbia University and the Earth Institute’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC). DeFries…

  • 4th International Sustainable Development Conference Coming up

    4th International Sustainable Development Conference Coming up

    The world is working on sustainable development. And many of the new ideas and innovations being applied to fields from agriculture and food security to climate adaptation to socially inclusive economic growth will be on display at the fourth annual International Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held at Columbia University Sept. 21-22.

  • New Gift Will Bolster Sustainability Research Efforts in China

    New Gift Will Bolster Sustainability Research Efforts in China

    As part of a generous $2 million donation to Columbia University, the Earth Institute’s Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management will receive $700,000 to expand its research efforts on sustainability in China.

  • Climate Denial and Sea Level Rise

    Climate Denial and Sea Level Rise

    The need to adapt to the current impact of climate change is already obvious in many cities and work is already underway to make cities more resilient to extreme weather events. New York City has begun to implement a resiliency plan that will cost at least $20 billion over the next decade.

  • Internships Open at Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

    Internships Open at Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

    The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment is accepting applications until Sept. 15 for internship positions for the fall semester. Interns are staffed to one or more specific research projects depending on the background and interests of the particular applicant. Unpaid and paid opportunities are available.

  • Future Sustainability Managers Arrive to Campus

    Future Sustainability Managers Arrive to Campus

    The M.S. in Sustainability Management is welcoming its new class of aspiring sustainability practitioners to campus this week.

  • Some Islands Started in Diamond-Bearing Regions Under Continents, Geochemists Say

    Journeys Spanning Thousands of Miles, Billions of Years

  • Extreme-Weather Winters Becoming More Common in U.S., Study Shows

    Extreme-Weather Winters Becoming More Common in U.S., Study Shows

    This past July was Earth’s hottest month since record keeping began, but warming isn’t the only danger climate change holds in store. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the simultaneous occurrence of extremely cold winter days in the Eastern United States and extremely warm winter days in the Western U.S., according to a…

  • MSSM Alumnus Designs Bird Habitat in Thailand

    MSSM Alumnus Designs Bird Habitat in Thailand

    MSSM Alum Chak Cherdsatirul, is transforming 30 acres into a natural sanctuary for birds in Thailand. A challenge for architects, zoologists and botanists to juxtapose biodiversity concepts with aesthetic human-nature design to ultimately create a sustainable avian habitat.

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

  • Faculty Profile: Ruth DeFries

    Faculty Profile: Ruth DeFries

    What can satellite imagery tell us about the impact of humanity’s transformation of the landscape on climate and ecosystems? A lot, according to Ruth DeFries, ecosystems expert, Denning Professor of Sustainable Development, and professor of ecology, evolution, and environmental biology at Columbia University and the Earth Institute’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC). DeFries…

  • 4th International Sustainable Development Conference Coming up

    4th International Sustainable Development Conference Coming up

    The world is working on sustainable development. And many of the new ideas and innovations being applied to fields from agriculture and food security to climate adaptation to socially inclusive economic growth will be on display at the fourth annual International Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held at Columbia University Sept. 21-22.

  • New Gift Will Bolster Sustainability Research Efforts in China

    New Gift Will Bolster Sustainability Research Efforts in China

    As part of a generous $2 million donation to Columbia University, the Earth Institute’s Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management will receive $700,000 to expand its research efforts on sustainability in China.

  • Climate Denial and Sea Level Rise

    Climate Denial and Sea Level Rise

    The need to adapt to the current impact of climate change is already obvious in many cities and work is already underway to make cities more resilient to extreme weather events. New York City has begun to implement a resiliency plan that will cost at least $20 billion over the next decade.

  • Internships Open at Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

    Internships Open at Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

    The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment is accepting applications until Sept. 15 for internship positions for the fall semester. Interns are staffed to one or more specific research projects depending on the background and interests of the particular applicant. Unpaid and paid opportunities are available.

  • Future Sustainability Managers Arrive to Campus

    Future Sustainability Managers Arrive to Campus

    The M.S. in Sustainability Management is welcoming its new class of aspiring sustainability practitioners to campus this week.

  • Some Islands Started in Diamond-Bearing Regions Under Continents, Geochemists Say

    Journeys Spanning Thousands of Miles, Billions of Years

  • Extreme-Weather Winters Becoming More Common in U.S., Study Shows

    Extreme-Weather Winters Becoming More Common in U.S., Study Shows

    This past July was Earth’s hottest month since record keeping began, but warming isn’t the only danger climate change holds in store. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the simultaneous occurrence of extremely cold winter days in the Eastern United States and extremely warm winter days in the Western U.S., according to a…

  • MSSM Alumnus Designs Bird Habitat in Thailand

    MSSM Alumnus Designs Bird Habitat in Thailand

    MSSM Alum Chak Cherdsatirul, is transforming 30 acres into a natural sanctuary for birds in Thailand. A challenge for architects, zoologists and botanists to juxtapose biodiversity concepts with aesthetic human-nature design to ultimately create a sustainable avian habitat.