State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Agriculture22

  • How Will Climate Change Impact Water Resources?

    How Will Climate Change Impact Water Resources?

    Richard Seager and Park Williams, climate scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, discuss how water will be affected by warmer temperatures, and how their research increases understanding of these issues.

  • Building Regenerative Local Food Systems

    Building Regenerative Local Food Systems

    On April 27, 2017, the Earth Institute, the School of International and Public Affairs, the Agriculture and Food Security Center and the Columbia Water Center presented the third annual Forum on Sustainable Agriculture, on Building Regenerative Food Systems.

  • In Jharkhand, Using an Old Technique for Sustainable Water

    In Jharkhand, Using an Old Technique for Sustainable Water

    The Indian state of Jharkhand has plentiful rainfall, but most of that water runs off before it can be put to use by farmers, who struggle to make a living. To help improve irrigation and crop productivity, the Centers for International Projects Trust and Ranchi’s Birsa Agricultural University turned to a simple traditional technology, “dobhas,”…

  • Reduced U.S. Air Pollution Will Boost Rainfall in Africa’s Sahel, Says Study

    Reduced U.S. Air Pollution Will Boost Rainfall in Africa’s Sahel, Says Study

    If U.S. sulfur dioxide emissions are cut to zero by 2100, as some researchers have projected they will be, rainfall over Africa’s Sahel region could increase up to 10 percent from 2000 levels, computer simulations suggest.

  • Study: Overuse of Water Threatens Global Food Supply

    Study: Overuse of Water Threatens Global Food Supply

    In recent years, scientists have revealed that we are depleting our global groundwater reserves at an alarming rate. Now researchers have shown that a significant share of this unsustainable water use fuels the global food trade, which means water exhaustion in supplier nations could ripple outward, causing food crises half way across globe.

  • Forest-Friendly Development Can Bolster Peace in Colombia, Paper Says

    Forest-Friendly Development Can Bolster Peace in Colombia, Paper Says

    As Colombia rebuilds following last year’s historic peace deal with Marxist FARC rebels, it has an opening to advance sustainable land development, a new study contends.

  • Students Compete in Food Security Simulation

    Students Compete in Food Security Simulation

    How do multiple stakeholders compromise their competing needs and develop a global coordinated strategy that is politically palatable, possible and comprehensive enough to have an impact? Students from universities all over the U.S. Northeast gathered at Columbia for the 2017 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition that challenged students to do just this.

  • Trump’s Unifying Opportunity: Food Security

    Trump’s Unifying Opportunity: Food Security

    A sound strategy to secure the nation’s food supply and reduce its vulnerability within and beyond our borders will be a major step towards making America and the world more resilient in the face of increasing uncertainty.

  • The Risks and Impacts of Expropriating Community Lands

    The Risks and Impacts of Expropriating Community Lands

    While a government might consider that a community’s lands can generate greater public benefits if used as the site of a large-scale project, such as for agriculture or forestry, that needs to be balanced with how taking the land will affect the people who lived there and depended on that land.

Colorful icons representing nature, sustainable living, and renewable energy with text "Earth Day 2026"

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.

  • How Will Climate Change Impact Water Resources?

    How Will Climate Change Impact Water Resources?

    Richard Seager and Park Williams, climate scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, discuss how water will be affected by warmer temperatures, and how their research increases understanding of these issues.

  • Building Regenerative Local Food Systems

    Building Regenerative Local Food Systems

    On April 27, 2017, the Earth Institute, the School of International and Public Affairs, the Agriculture and Food Security Center and the Columbia Water Center presented the third annual Forum on Sustainable Agriculture, on Building Regenerative Food Systems.

  • In Jharkhand, Using an Old Technique for Sustainable Water

    In Jharkhand, Using an Old Technique for Sustainable Water

    The Indian state of Jharkhand has plentiful rainfall, but most of that water runs off before it can be put to use by farmers, who struggle to make a living. To help improve irrigation and crop productivity, the Centers for International Projects Trust and Ranchi’s Birsa Agricultural University turned to a simple traditional technology, “dobhas,”…

  • Reduced U.S. Air Pollution Will Boost Rainfall in Africa’s Sahel, Says Study

    Reduced U.S. Air Pollution Will Boost Rainfall in Africa’s Sahel, Says Study

    If U.S. sulfur dioxide emissions are cut to zero by 2100, as some researchers have projected they will be, rainfall over Africa’s Sahel region could increase up to 10 percent from 2000 levels, computer simulations suggest.

  • Study: Overuse of Water Threatens Global Food Supply

    Study: Overuse of Water Threatens Global Food Supply

    In recent years, scientists have revealed that we are depleting our global groundwater reserves at an alarming rate. Now researchers have shown that a significant share of this unsustainable water use fuels the global food trade, which means water exhaustion in supplier nations could ripple outward, causing food crises half way across globe.

  • Forest-Friendly Development Can Bolster Peace in Colombia, Paper Says

    Forest-Friendly Development Can Bolster Peace in Colombia, Paper Says

    As Colombia rebuilds following last year’s historic peace deal with Marxist FARC rebels, it has an opening to advance sustainable land development, a new study contends.

  • Students Compete in Food Security Simulation

    Students Compete in Food Security Simulation

    How do multiple stakeholders compromise their competing needs and develop a global coordinated strategy that is politically palatable, possible and comprehensive enough to have an impact? Students from universities all over the U.S. Northeast gathered at Columbia for the 2017 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition that challenged students to do just this.

  • Trump’s Unifying Opportunity: Food Security

    Trump’s Unifying Opportunity: Food Security

    A sound strategy to secure the nation’s food supply and reduce its vulnerability within and beyond our borders will be a major step towards making America and the world more resilient in the face of increasing uncertainty.

  • The Risks and Impacts of Expropriating Community Lands

    The Risks and Impacts of Expropriating Community Lands

    While a government might consider that a community’s lands can generate greater public benefits if used as the site of a large-scale project, such as for agriculture or forestry, that needs to be balanced with how taking the land will affect the people who lived there and depended on that land.