Author: Lakis Polycarpou5

Lakis Polycarpou is a professional author and freelance writer. His articles for State of the Planet have covered water scarcity, climate change, drought, flood, food security, supply chains, geopolitics and other topics. Between 2010 and 2016, Lakis worked with the Columbia Water Center to articulate and communicate innovative solutions to global water and climate challenges. He can be contacted at https://www.cleantechwriting.com/ Visit website »

Ohio and Mississippi River Floods in Photos

Heavy rains over the American South and Midwest have deluged the region, causing unprecedented flood damage. View photos of the event from around the web.
Earth, Water and Sky –A Conversation with Pierre Gentine, a new Columbia Water Center Scientist

Columbia Water Center welcomes Pierre Gentine, Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics at Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, as an affiliate researcher. Pierre’s groundbreaking research on the way soil moisture interacts with the atmosphere has implications for many of CWCs initiatives—from developing more efficient irrigation systems, to water resource management, to understanding floods.…
Here Comes the Flood: The Army Corps Prepares to Blow the Levees to Save Cairo, Illinois

The US Army corps of Engineers is preparing to blow up levees on the Ohio River near Bird’s Point Missouri in order to save the town of Cairo, Illinois.
The Middle East Dries Up—Another Case Study in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

As seductive as it is, depleting non-renewable aquifers to grow food is fundamentally unsustainable for the long term, as Saudi Arabia and other nations are finding out. According to a recent article by Lester Brown, in the 1970s the world’s largest oil producer realized it could use oil-drilling technology to tap deep underwater aquifers and—amazingly,…
“You are Misinformed”–Planning for Flood Regime Change

Lately a lot of people are wondering just how helpful the 100-year flood benchmark really is, as places seem to be getting hit by 100-year floods all the time.
Before the Flood—Predicting the Deluge

The Columbia Global Flood Project is based on the conviction that while human beings may not have direct control of where and how much rain falls, there is a great deal more that can be done to manage the risk of extreme flooding around the world.
A Solution to the Problem of Lawns?

Given the growing intensity of the global water crisis, to spend such enormous amounts of water on something that for practical purposes does little more than enslave millions of American homeowners by chaining them to their lawnmowers and sprinklers every Saturday…
Flood Impacts: Don’t Forget Other Factors

As scientists continue to try to sort out climate change effects, it’s important to remember also that when it comes to the impact of floods, there are many factors outside of global climate change that affect outcomes for people. Here are a few.
Solving Urbanization Challenges by Design – The Science of Green Roofs (part 2)

Patricia J. Culligan is a professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics at Columbia University and the Vice Dean of Academic Affairs for Columbia Engineering. In part two of this interview she talks about the challenge of quantifying the economic benefits of green roofs, the potential for rooftop agriculture, and what it means to “solve…

Ohio and Mississippi River Floods in Photos

Heavy rains over the American South and Midwest have deluged the region, causing unprecedented flood damage. View photos of the event from around the web.
Earth, Water and Sky –A Conversation with Pierre Gentine, a new Columbia Water Center Scientist

Columbia Water Center welcomes Pierre Gentine, Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics at Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, as an affiliate researcher. Pierre’s groundbreaking research on the way soil moisture interacts with the atmosphere has implications for many of CWCs initiatives—from developing more efficient irrigation systems, to water resource management, to understanding floods.…
Here Comes the Flood: The Army Corps Prepares to Blow the Levees to Save Cairo, Illinois

The US Army corps of Engineers is preparing to blow up levees on the Ohio River near Bird’s Point Missouri in order to save the town of Cairo, Illinois.
The Middle East Dries Up—Another Case Study in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

As seductive as it is, depleting non-renewable aquifers to grow food is fundamentally unsustainable for the long term, as Saudi Arabia and other nations are finding out. According to a recent article by Lester Brown, in the 1970s the world’s largest oil producer realized it could use oil-drilling technology to tap deep underwater aquifers and—amazingly,…
“You are Misinformed”–Planning for Flood Regime Change

Lately a lot of people are wondering just how helpful the 100-year flood benchmark really is, as places seem to be getting hit by 100-year floods all the time.
Before the Flood—Predicting the Deluge

The Columbia Global Flood Project is based on the conviction that while human beings may not have direct control of where and how much rain falls, there is a great deal more that can be done to manage the risk of extreme flooding around the world.
A Solution to the Problem of Lawns?

Given the growing intensity of the global water crisis, to spend such enormous amounts of water on something that for practical purposes does little more than enslave millions of American homeowners by chaining them to their lawnmowers and sprinklers every Saturday…
Flood Impacts: Don’t Forget Other Factors

As scientists continue to try to sort out climate change effects, it’s important to remember also that when it comes to the impact of floods, there are many factors outside of global climate change that affect outcomes for people. Here are a few.
Solving Urbanization Challenges by Design – The Science of Green Roofs (part 2)

Patricia J. Culligan is a professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics at Columbia University and the Vice Dean of Academic Affairs for Columbia Engineering. In part two of this interview she talks about the challenge of quantifying the economic benefits of green roofs, the potential for rooftop agriculture, and what it means to “solve…