Author: Kevin Krajick13

Kevin Krajick is the former senior editor for science news at the Earth Institute and the Columbia Climate School. He grew up in the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley of upstate New York, where he worked at his high-school newspaper. He has since reported from all 50 U.S. states and 30-some countries, writing about science, medicine, crime, immigration and other issues. His work has appeared in National Geographic, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Science, Smithsonian and many other publications. He was a finalist for the National Magazine Award for Public Service for his reporting on organized crime’s links to the toxic waste-disposal industry. He is two-time winner of the American Geophysical Union’s Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism, and his work has been featured repeatedly in the yearly book “Best American Science and Nature Writing.” His 2001 book “Barren Lands” is the true account of how two prospectors discovered vast deposits of diamonds in Canada’s remote far north. Krajick holds degrees in comparative literature and journalism from Columbia University. He lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his family. You can email Kevin at: krk4@columbia.edu

Potentially Fatal Combinations of Humidity and Heat Are Emerging Across the Globe

A new study has identified thousands of incidents of previously rare or unprecedented extreme heat/humidity combinations in parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and North America, including in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.
How to Take Photos in the Field

What, when and how to shoot photos of scientific fieldwork.
Writing and Submitting an Opinion Piece

Opinion pages are one of the best-read parts of any publication. Here is how to break into them.
We Were So Young and Naive. And We Got Things Done.

A journalist looks back on his efforts to cover the first Earth Day.
My Neighborhood and Coronavirus, a Month Later

Scenes from an Upper West Side neighborhood in the grip of the pandemic.
Climate-Driven Megadrought Is Emerging in Western U.S., Says Study

Scientists say a long-feared megadrought, worse than anything in recorded history, seems to be starting up in southwestern North America.
Coronavirus: Expert Resources for Journalists

Earth Institute experts in public health and disaster response are publishing leading-edge findings and advising governments on the coronavirus pandemic. Researchers are also examining the local and global fallout for environment, climate, energy and health systems, philanthropy, culture and education.
The Shutdown Is Clearing New York’s Air. Don’t Cheer Too Hard.

Researchers are measuring severe drops in pollutants at the ground level, but warn that the benefits will be short-lived unless we take away some longer-term lessons.
Even a Limited India-Pakistan Nuclear War Would Bring Global Famine, Says Study

Even a limited nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan would cause unprecedented planet-wide food shortages lasting more than a decade.

Potentially Fatal Combinations of Humidity and Heat Are Emerging Across the Globe

A new study has identified thousands of incidents of previously rare or unprecedented extreme heat/humidity combinations in parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and North America, including in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.
How to Take Photos in the Field

What, when and how to shoot photos of scientific fieldwork.
Writing and Submitting an Opinion Piece

Opinion pages are one of the best-read parts of any publication. Here is how to break into them.
We Were So Young and Naive. And We Got Things Done.

A journalist looks back on his efforts to cover the first Earth Day.
My Neighborhood and Coronavirus, a Month Later

Scenes from an Upper West Side neighborhood in the grip of the pandemic.
Climate-Driven Megadrought Is Emerging in Western U.S., Says Study

Scientists say a long-feared megadrought, worse than anything in recorded history, seems to be starting up in southwestern North America.
Coronavirus: Expert Resources for Journalists

Earth Institute experts in public health and disaster response are publishing leading-edge findings and advising governments on the coronavirus pandemic. Researchers are also examining the local and global fallout for environment, climate, energy and health systems, philanthropy, culture and education.
The Shutdown Is Clearing New York’s Air. Don’t Cheer Too Hard.

Researchers are measuring severe drops in pollutants at the ground level, but warn that the benefits will be short-lived unless we take away some longer-term lessons.
Even a Limited India-Pakistan Nuclear War Would Bring Global Famine, Says Study

Even a limited nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan would cause unprecedented planet-wide food shortages lasting more than a decade.