Every year, the Climate School honors Earth Day by sharing images that celebrate the beauty and magic of our planet as captured by the Columbia community. Just a few highlights from this year’s selection include an erupting volcano (Guatemala); cascading rice terraces (Ubud, Bali); lenticular cloud formations (Patagonia, Chile); cliffside houses (Vik, Iceland); and Cornelius the dog enjoying some sun in front of Low Library (Columbia campus).
Please enjoy our Columbia Beautiful Planet selections and visit our Earth Day website for more resources, ideas and inspiration.
Peruvian Andes, November 2025, on Leica R4, 35mm. Credit: Amelia Markes, MPA in Environmental Science & PolicyCentury Plant and Amara Leazer in the Tijuana River Estuary, San Diego, California, March 2026 Earth Studio student trip. Credit: Ryann Busillo, Climate School & GSAPPSunset over the Hudson River from the Lamont shuttle. Credit: Andrew Marshall Fagerheim, Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryRice fields at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Philippines during the IRRI-AgMIP Workshop, Sep 3, 2025. Credit: Erik Mencos, AgMIP Program, Center for Climate Systems ResearchSomewhere in Vik, Iceland, January 2026. Credit: Muhamad Ababil Akram, MS in Sustainability Management and Columbia Center on Sustainable InvestmentVolcán Acatenango in eruption, Guatemala, May 27, 2025. Credit: Lylia Saurel, Columbia Climate SchoolWildflowers cascade down the cliffs of the Gaspé Peninsula, Canada, August 2024. Credit: Miriam Cinquegrana, Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryStudents in Columbia Climate School in the Green Mountains conduct a biological survey of macroinvertebrates in a nearby stream to assess local water quality. Credit: Laurel Zaima-Sheehy, Columbia Climate SchoolMendenhall Glacier, Tongas National Forest, Juneau, Alaska. Taken after instructing a 2024 emergency preparedness training for local officials. Credit: Rebecca May, National Center for Disaster PreparednessThe Almighty Machu Picchu, Peru, November 2025. Credit: Muhamad Ababil Akram, MS in Sustainability Management and Columbia Center on Sustainable InvestmentA scene from an immersive production of FEFU & HER FRIENDS by Maria Irene Fornés set in the Arthur Ross Greenhouse at Barnard College. Directed by Alice Reagan, design by Sandra Goldmark, with student actor Bess Blackburn BC ’27. Credit: Sandra Goldmark, Columbia Climate SchoolAlmirante Brown Antarctic Base, November 2025. Credit: Larissa Souki, Columbia Sustainable DevelopmentColumbia University’s Morningside campus taken from Hamilton Hall in November 2025 on 35mm film with a Nikon One Touch camera. Credit: Erin Frank, MA Climate & Society, Columbia Climate SchoolNalasopara, outside of Mumbai, at night looking down at the auto-rickshaws and market. Credit: Darsheet Vora, Mumbai Living Lab, Center for Sustainable Urban Development via Jackie KloppPositano, Italy taken during a study abroad experience in May 2024. Credit: Natalie Lewis, MA Climate & SocietySomewhere in Vik, Iceland, January 2026. Credit: Muhamad Ababil Akram, MS in Sustainability Management and Columbia Center on Sustainable InvestmentLow Library at Columbia University shot on 35mm film with a Nikon One Touch camera in October 2025. Credit: Erin Frank, MA Climate & Society, Columbia Climate SchoolMachu Picchu, Peru, taken during a visit in 2025. The image captures the historic stone structures set against the surrounding Andean forest, reflecting the long-standing relationship between human civilization and nature. In the scene, a small group can be seen in a quiet moment of prayer, adding a layer of cultural and spiritual connection to the landscape that continues to be present today. Credit: Gabriella Ginting, MS in Sustainability ManagementThe volcanic black sand coastline of Reynisfjara stretches to the horizon, viewed from Dyrhólaey, Iceland in March 2026. Credit: Supriya Swarup, MS in Sustainability ManagementBLOOFINZ research cruise on board the Roger Revelle in the Argo Abyssal Plain downstream of the Indonesian Throughflow. Credit: Joaquim Goes, Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryThe Colca Valley in Cabanaconde, Peru in late June. Credit: Ash Young, Climate School Fashion, Energy, and Climate NetworkCardinal in Riverside Park, NYC, February 2026. Credit: Alex de Sherbinin, CIESINSunrise over Hayli Gubbi volcano in the Afar region of Ethiopia, taken January 31, 2026. Credit: Amdemichael Zafu Tadesse, Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryTegalalang rice terraces cascade through tropical rainforest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia in December 2025. Credit: Supriya Swarup, MS in Sustainability ManagementEvidence of spring 2025 at Comer Building, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Credit: Kelly Fenton-Samuels, Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryCamping site in Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile, during a multi-day trek in 2025. The photo captures lenticular cloud formations above the mountains, a reminder of how atmospheric conditions interact closely with the region’s extreme geography. Credit: Gabriella Ginting, MS in Sustainability ManagementRock, ice, and sky in Greenland. Greenland is more than geopolitics: it is the epicenter of climate change; it is an ancient place holding the secrets of our planet, our memories. Credit: Marco Tedesco, Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryStromatolites, Tierra del Fuego Province, Chile. Credit: Larissa Souki, Columbia Sustainable DevelopmentCornelius in front of Alma Mater, Low Library, Columbia University, September 2025. Credit: Amara P. Leazer, Columbia Climate School & Columbia GSAPPNew York City sunset on the Upper West Side November 2025. Credit: Natalie Lewis, MA Climate & Society
The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. Today, our scientists and experts are tackling the most pressing challenges to achieve real-world impact. This Earth Day, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.
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