State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Author: Thomas Chen


  • Climate News Roundup – Cancun Summit

    Climate News Roundup – Cancun Summit

    Baird to Flaunt Climate Cash at Cancun Talks Toronto Star, Dec 6. Canada has committed a $400 million package to assist developing nations reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. Canada’s environment minister John Baird highlighted the fact that while Canada is responsible for 2% of global emissions, it is paying for 4% of the…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/21 and 11/28

    Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/21 and 11/28

    Siberia’s Climate Bomb: Thawing Permafrost Could Spell Disaster: Associate Press, Nov. 21 Methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent per molecule than carbon dioxide, is seeping from Sibera’s frozen soil and lakes at an accelerated rate due to global warming. While the 1.5 trillion tons of carbon trapped under the permafrost may be a “ticking…

  • What the U.S. Midterm ‘Shellacking’ Means for Energy Policy

    President Obama’s midterm “shellacking,”  to use his own term, was hailed by some pundits as the official death of “cap and trade.” Obama himself declared that there would be no comprehensive energy reform bill in the foreseeable future. Instead, he advocates working with Republicans to pass smaller “piecemeal” legislation. Obama remarked in a White House…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/8 and 11/15

    Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/8 and 11/15

    World Should Eradicate Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Reuters, Nov. 9 The International Energy Agency (IEA) has issued its annual World Energy Outlook, which highlights the need for countries to completely abolish fossil fuel subsidies. While fossil fuel subsidies are projected to reach $500 billion by 2015, renewable energy subsidies are projected to be no more than…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/05/2010

    Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/05/2010

    The Arctic Shifts to a New Climate Pattern in Which ‘Normal’ Becomes Obsolete, NY Times, Oct. 22 Record high temperatures in the Arctic this year is another sign that the troubling trend of ice cap disintegration, permafrost melting, and snow cover shrinking is becoming irreversible, according to a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report.…

  • Climate News Roundup – Cancun Summit

    Climate News Roundup – Cancun Summit

    Baird to Flaunt Climate Cash at Cancun Talks Toronto Star, Dec 6. Canada has committed a $400 million package to assist developing nations reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. Canada’s environment minister John Baird highlighted the fact that while Canada is responsible for 2% of global emissions, it is paying for 4% of the…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/21 and 11/28

    Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/21 and 11/28

    Siberia’s Climate Bomb: Thawing Permafrost Could Spell Disaster: Associate Press, Nov. 21 Methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent per molecule than carbon dioxide, is seeping from Sibera’s frozen soil and lakes at an accelerated rate due to global warming. While the 1.5 trillion tons of carbon trapped under the permafrost may be a “ticking…

  • What the U.S. Midterm ‘Shellacking’ Means for Energy Policy

    President Obama’s midterm “shellacking,”  to use his own term, was hailed by some pundits as the official death of “cap and trade.” Obama himself declared that there would be no comprehensive energy reform bill in the foreseeable future. Instead, he advocates working with Republicans to pass smaller “piecemeal” legislation. Obama remarked in a White House…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/8 and 11/15

    Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/8 and 11/15

    World Should Eradicate Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Reuters, Nov. 9 The International Energy Agency (IEA) has issued its annual World Energy Outlook, which highlights the need for countries to completely abolish fossil fuel subsidies. While fossil fuel subsidies are projected to reach $500 billion by 2015, renewable energy subsidies are projected to be no more than…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/05/2010

    Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/05/2010

    The Arctic Shifts to a New Climate Pattern in Which ‘Normal’ Becomes Obsolete, NY Times, Oct. 22 Record high temperatures in the Arctic this year is another sign that the troubling trend of ice cap disintegration, permafrost melting, and snow cover shrinking is becoming irreversible, according to a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report.…