2025 was another historic year—making headlines for disastrous wildfires in Los Angeles, catastrophic floods in Texas, and deadly heatwaves in Europe and Asia. But it was also a year of collaboration—with researchers, scientists, policymakers, students and others coming together to share ideas and plans to address the effects of climate change, during Climate Week NYC and COP30, among other initiatives.
Here at the Climate School, we celebrated another graduating class of students, who will now use their education and experiences to help build a better world. We also launched the first M.S. in Climate Finance Program in the United States, as well as a new dual degree with Columbia Engineering, to broaden the opportunities for students, professionals and future academics interested in the climate field.
At State of the Planet, we published hundreds of stories highlighting current, past and future climate news, as well as the people working to understand and build a more sustainable and just future for our planet. You can read a short roundup of our most viewed articles below.
Some of our most popular posts from 2025
A Disaster Expert Explains Why the LA Fires Have Been So Catastrophic: Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, director of the Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, discussed why this year’s fires have been so devastating and what can be done about wildfires going forward.
Columbia Climate School Launches First M.S. in Climate Finance Program in the United States: The Climate School launched a new interdisciplinary degree that will drive impactful solutions to the climate crisis through advanced financial tools and scientific knowledge.
All of the Biggest U.S. Cities Are Sinking: A study of the 28 most populous U.S. cities found that, from the coasts to the interior, urban areas are sinking. The main culprit was the pumping ofgroundwater.
How Congestion Pricing Will Benefit New York City: In January, New York City became the first municipality in the U.S. to implement congestion pricing. While some of the results are already apparent, this Viewpoint explores the benefits New Yorkers can expect to see in the future.
A Disaster Expert Explains Why the Texas Floods Were So Devastating: A warning system, which might involve integrating older technology like weather radios with new AI products and local knowledge, is key to preventing future loss of life, according to Andrew Kruczkiewicz, a meteorologist and senior staff researcher at the Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness.
7 Climate Experts on What We Can Still Do to Fight Climate Change: Network, think and speak your mind. These are the ways to engage with the climate crisis, according to experts.
Five Ways To Make Your Life More Sustainable: Simple steps to go green(er) this Earth Day, and all the days that follow.
Archaeologist Kristina Douglass Named 2025 MacArthur Fellow: In her research, Douglass, an associate professor of climate at the Columbia Climate School, uses lessons from the past to help communities understand how to adapt to climate change.
Columbia Beautiful Planet 2025: Each year, we honor Earth Day by sharing some amazing photos celebrating the beauty and magic of our planet, as captured by the Columbia community.
Nanoplastics Are All Around (and Inside) Us: How are humans exposed to these tiny and ubiquitous plastics? And is there anything we can do about it?
Video Highlights
This year, we added exciting new content to our Science for the Planet video series, which features short explainers from Climate School researchers who are learning about the impacts of climate change.
- Financing Sustainable Development: Meet Lisa Sachs—a lawyer who specializes in how public and private investment can help achieve environmental, social and economic goals.
- Tackling the Invisible Threat of Nanoplastics: Beizhan Yan, an environmental geochemist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, has come up with new methods to detect and analyze tiny plastic particles to better understand their impact on human and environmental health.
- Creating Climate Solutions with Urban Communities: Climate School professor Sheila Foster works with frontline communities on climate adaptation strategies.
- In Madagascar, Learning From a Library of Human Experience: Archaeologist Kristina Douglass explains how past human adaptation can inform solutions to modern climate challenges.
That’s all for now. See you in 2026!
