State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Agriculture33

  • Extraordinary Support for Sustainable Development

    Extraordinary Support for Sustainable Development

    Visit the interactive digital Earth Institute 2012 Annual Donor Report to see some of the remarkable projects, initiatives and achievements that have been made possible through the support and advocacy of donors, students, faculty and staff in fiscal year 2012.

  • Making Sense of Climate’s Impact on Food Security

    Making Sense of Climate’s Impact on Food Security

    From warmer temperatures to natural disasters such as flooding and drought, changing patterns of climate are having billion-dollar impacts on our food-growing systems. But scientists are struggling to find ways to measure and predict what may happen in the future—and to translate that into policies to help feed a bulging world population.

  • Improving Seeds to Meet Future Challenges

    Improving Seeds to Meet Future Challenges

    Scientists and agronomists are racing to develop seeds that are higher yielding, more nutritious, and both drought and climate resilient to meet the challenge of feeding the world in the future.

  • Rosario’s Farm: Rising Tides, Shrimp from the Forest

    Rosario’s Farm: Rising Tides, Shrimp from the Forest

    Rosario Costa-Cabral and her brothers harvest hundreds of fruits, oils and wood products from the stream-laced forest of the Amazon River delta. But the climate here is changing: Tides rise higher, and seasonal floods are growing worse.

  • New Understanding of Soil Quality throughout Africa

    New Understanding of Soil Quality throughout Africa

    A new interactive mapping tool lets users visualize a broad range of soil data for the continent of Africa.

  • Poor Ethiopian Farmers Receive ‘Unprecedented’ Insurance Payout

    Poor Ethiopian Farmers Receive ‘Unprecedented’ Insurance Payout

    Thanks to a groundbreaking new program that relies on advanced satellite technology, a weather index insurance payout of unprecedented scale will benefit poor African farmers.

  • A River Runs Through It: Predicting Floods in the Midwest

    A River Runs Through It: Predicting Floods in the Midwest

    Focusing on the American Midwest, Andrew Robertson analyzes the relationships between floods, weather and climate patters throughout the 20th century.

  • Glenn Denning’s Road to Bali, and the Earth Institute

    Glenn Denning’s Road to Bali, and the Earth Institute

    Glenn Denning grew up in Brisbane, Australia, loved the outdoors and hated the idea of working in an office. And, he really didn’t have any urge to go to other countries. Then he happened to overhear a conversation in a hallway between two students. That bit of serendipity sent him on a road to a…

  • Predicting the Future of Soy in South America

    Predicting the Future of Soy in South America

    In this Q&A, Arthur M. Greene discusses improving climate and agricultural modeling in South America using a new stochastic simulation of future climate.

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • Extraordinary Support for Sustainable Development

    Extraordinary Support for Sustainable Development

    Visit the interactive digital Earth Institute 2012 Annual Donor Report to see some of the remarkable projects, initiatives and achievements that have been made possible through the support and advocacy of donors, students, faculty and staff in fiscal year 2012.

  • Making Sense of Climate’s Impact on Food Security

    Making Sense of Climate’s Impact on Food Security

    From warmer temperatures to natural disasters such as flooding and drought, changing patterns of climate are having billion-dollar impacts on our food-growing systems. But scientists are struggling to find ways to measure and predict what may happen in the future—and to translate that into policies to help feed a bulging world population.

  • Improving Seeds to Meet Future Challenges

    Improving Seeds to Meet Future Challenges

    Scientists and agronomists are racing to develop seeds that are higher yielding, more nutritious, and both drought and climate resilient to meet the challenge of feeding the world in the future.

  • Rosario’s Farm: Rising Tides, Shrimp from the Forest

    Rosario’s Farm: Rising Tides, Shrimp from the Forest

    Rosario Costa-Cabral and her brothers harvest hundreds of fruits, oils and wood products from the stream-laced forest of the Amazon River delta. But the climate here is changing: Tides rise higher, and seasonal floods are growing worse.

  • New Understanding of Soil Quality throughout Africa

    New Understanding of Soil Quality throughout Africa

    A new interactive mapping tool lets users visualize a broad range of soil data for the continent of Africa.

  • Poor Ethiopian Farmers Receive ‘Unprecedented’ Insurance Payout

    Poor Ethiopian Farmers Receive ‘Unprecedented’ Insurance Payout

    Thanks to a groundbreaking new program that relies on advanced satellite technology, a weather index insurance payout of unprecedented scale will benefit poor African farmers.

  • A River Runs Through It: Predicting Floods in the Midwest

    A River Runs Through It: Predicting Floods in the Midwest

    Focusing on the American Midwest, Andrew Robertson analyzes the relationships between floods, weather and climate patters throughout the 20th century.

  • Glenn Denning’s Road to Bali, and the Earth Institute

    Glenn Denning’s Road to Bali, and the Earth Institute

    Glenn Denning grew up in Brisbane, Australia, loved the outdoors and hated the idea of working in an office. And, he really didn’t have any urge to go to other countries. Then he happened to overhear a conversation in a hallway between two students. That bit of serendipity sent him on a road to a…

  • Predicting the Future of Soy in South America

    Predicting the Future of Soy in South America

    In this Q&A, Arthur M. Greene discusses improving climate and agricultural modeling in South America using a new stochastic simulation of future climate.