State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Author: Guest125


  • From Laughter to Linear Regressions

    From Laughter to Linear Regressions

    What was obvious to a Malaysian studying in Singapore was slightly less clear to a California-born New Yorker, but as my knowledge on the subject grew, I quickly understood my colleague’s enthusiasm for studying oil palm.

  • Closed Loop Advisors Certified as a B Corporation

    Closed Loop Advisors Certified as a B Corporation

    In 2010, two professionals set out to make a difference by joining Columbia’s M.S. in Sustainability Management program. Just over a year later, Samuel Abbay and JD Capauno founded the New York based consulting company Closed Loop Advisors. Today, they’ve taken another stride along that path by getting their company certified as a B Corporation.

  • Cicadas Leave Trail of Dead Leaves

    Cicadas Leave Trail of Dead Leaves

    As you travel through our region, you may notice stands of trees with branch tips covered in dead leaves. The damage is not from the hot and humid weather, but rather the aftermath of the cicadas.

  • Science in the Streets

    Science in the Streets

    What motivates artists may be different than what motivates scientists, but they can investigate similar ideas. Artists interested in sustainability issues might team up with scientists to make sure their work is accurate. Scientists benefit from art projects that communicate their research to a broader audience than would normally read a journal article. However, the…

  • Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Tornadoes are rare at any one location, but out of anywhere in the United States, the central Oklahoma area has the greatest risk—and this day would prove no exception.

  • 400 ppm World, Part 2: Rising Seas Come with Rising CO2

    400 ppm World, Part 2: Rising Seas Come with Rising CO2

    Every indication is that thermal expansion will not dominate rates of sea-level rise in the future. As Earth’s climate marches toward equilibration with present-day CO2 levels, the climate will continue to warm. And this warming threatens the stability of a potentially much, much larger source for sea-level rise — the world’s remaining ice sheets.

  • 400 ppm World, Part 1: Large Changes Still to Come

    400 ppm World, Part 1: Large Changes Still to Come

    Why should society care that CO2 is now as high as 400 ppm? The reasons are multiple, but all trace back to the relationship between CO2 and temperature.

  • The Environment as a Tool for Peace in the Middle East

    The Environment as a Tool for Peace in the Middle East

    Understanding the Middle East conflict is not an easy task, and adding an environmental component to the puzzle doesn’t make it any easier. Students in the Regional Environmental Sustainability in the Middle East program, having gone through 16 days of an 18-day trip to the region, now see clearly how complex the issues actually are.…

  • M.S. Students Propose Solution to Urban Food Waste

    M.S. Students Propose Solution to Urban Food Waste

    Four students have teamed up to create re:HARVEST, a food-sharing website and companion mobile application allowing users to notify each other when they have food available for pickup that would otherwise be wasted.

  • From Laughter to Linear Regressions

    From Laughter to Linear Regressions

    What was obvious to a Malaysian studying in Singapore was slightly less clear to a California-born New Yorker, but as my knowledge on the subject grew, I quickly understood my colleague’s enthusiasm for studying oil palm.

  • Closed Loop Advisors Certified as a B Corporation

    Closed Loop Advisors Certified as a B Corporation

    In 2010, two professionals set out to make a difference by joining Columbia’s M.S. in Sustainability Management program. Just over a year later, Samuel Abbay and JD Capauno founded the New York based consulting company Closed Loop Advisors. Today, they’ve taken another stride along that path by getting their company certified as a B Corporation.

  • Cicadas Leave Trail of Dead Leaves

    Cicadas Leave Trail of Dead Leaves

    As you travel through our region, you may notice stands of trees with branch tips covered in dead leaves. The damage is not from the hot and humid weather, but rather the aftermath of the cicadas.

  • Science in the Streets

    Science in the Streets

    What motivates artists may be different than what motivates scientists, but they can investigate similar ideas. Artists interested in sustainability issues might team up with scientists to make sure their work is accurate. Scientists benefit from art projects that communicate their research to a broader audience than would normally read a journal article. However, the…

  • Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Tornadoes are rare at any one location, but out of anywhere in the United States, the central Oklahoma area has the greatest risk—and this day would prove no exception.

  • 400 ppm World, Part 2: Rising Seas Come with Rising CO2

    400 ppm World, Part 2: Rising Seas Come with Rising CO2

    Every indication is that thermal expansion will not dominate rates of sea-level rise in the future. As Earth’s climate marches toward equilibration with present-day CO2 levels, the climate will continue to warm. And this warming threatens the stability of a potentially much, much larger source for sea-level rise — the world’s remaining ice sheets.

  • 400 ppm World, Part 1: Large Changes Still to Come

    400 ppm World, Part 1: Large Changes Still to Come

    Why should society care that CO2 is now as high as 400 ppm? The reasons are multiple, but all trace back to the relationship between CO2 and temperature.

  • The Environment as a Tool for Peace in the Middle East

    The Environment as a Tool for Peace in the Middle East

    Understanding the Middle East conflict is not an easy task, and adding an environmental component to the puzzle doesn’t make it any easier. Students in the Regional Environmental Sustainability in the Middle East program, having gone through 16 days of an 18-day trip to the region, now see clearly how complex the issues actually are.…

  • M.S. Students Propose Solution to Urban Food Waste

    M.S. Students Propose Solution to Urban Food Waste

    Four students have teamed up to create re:HARVEST, a food-sharing website and companion mobile application allowing users to notify each other when they have food available for pickup that would otherwise be wasted.