State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

201647

  • It’s Beginning to Look Not a Lot Like Christmas

    It’s Beginning to Look Not a Lot Like Christmas

    Much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States was balmy on Christmas Day, with high temperatures more than 20°F above average from Texas to Maine. According to NOAA, 789 daily high temperature records were tied or broken on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the continental United States. What’s behind this unusual weather?

  • The Floor of the Ocean Comes into Better Focus

    The Floor of the Ocean Comes into Better Focus

    The bottom of the ocean just keeps getting better. Or at least more interesting to look at.

  • Study Ecology Abroad: Jordan and Brazil SEE-U

    Study Ecology Abroad: Jordan and Brazil SEE-U

    Now is the time to apply by the next rolling admissions deadline for the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability’s Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates study abroad program.

  • The Not in My Backyard Syndrome and Sustainability Infrastructure

    As we make the transition to a more sustainable, renewable resource based economy, we will need to build new smart-grid electrical systems, new water infrastructure, coastal resiliency projects, mass transit, public charging stations, and other types of development. This will require innovative efforts to plan, design, build, manage and communicate if it is to succeed.

  • Executive Director’s Office Internship

    Executive Director’s Office Internship

    Are you an undergraduate or graduate student at Columbia or Barnard interested in sustainability and the environment? Are you looking for a paid internship for the spring semester? Apply by Friday, January 15, 2016, to intern in the Executive Director’s office at the Earth Institute.

  • Faculty Profile: Richard Deckelbaum

    Faculty Profile: Richard Deckelbaum

    Like many who have devoted their lives to global public health, Dr. Richard Deckelbaum is regularly challenged by the lack of financial commitment shown by the international community to make modest investments for drastic improvements in people’s lives. He has a hard time believing that governments cannot see—or simply choose to ignore—that nutrition and health…

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

  • It’s Beginning to Look Not a Lot Like Christmas

    It’s Beginning to Look Not a Lot Like Christmas

    Much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States was balmy on Christmas Day, with high temperatures more than 20°F above average from Texas to Maine. According to NOAA, 789 daily high temperature records were tied or broken on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the continental United States. What’s behind this unusual weather?

  • The Floor of the Ocean Comes into Better Focus

    The Floor of the Ocean Comes into Better Focus

    The bottom of the ocean just keeps getting better. Or at least more interesting to look at.

  • Study Ecology Abroad: Jordan and Brazil SEE-U

    Study Ecology Abroad: Jordan and Brazil SEE-U

    Now is the time to apply by the next rolling admissions deadline for the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability’s Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates study abroad program.

  • The Not in My Backyard Syndrome and Sustainability Infrastructure

    As we make the transition to a more sustainable, renewable resource based economy, we will need to build new smart-grid electrical systems, new water infrastructure, coastal resiliency projects, mass transit, public charging stations, and other types of development. This will require innovative efforts to plan, design, build, manage and communicate if it is to succeed.

  • Executive Director’s Office Internship

    Executive Director’s Office Internship

    Are you an undergraduate or graduate student at Columbia or Barnard interested in sustainability and the environment? Are you looking for a paid internship for the spring semester? Apply by Friday, January 15, 2016, to intern in the Executive Director’s office at the Earth Institute.

  • Faculty Profile: Richard Deckelbaum

    Faculty Profile: Richard Deckelbaum

    Like many who have devoted their lives to global public health, Dr. Richard Deckelbaum is regularly challenged by the lack of financial commitment shown by the international community to make modest investments for drastic improvements in people’s lives. He has a hard time believing that governments cannot see—or simply choose to ignore—that nutrition and health…