State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Agriculture40

  • The End of Traffic: Goals of an Ecopreneur

    The End of Traffic: Goals of an Ecopreneur

    Savraj Singh Danjal, an ecopreneur based in New Jersey, has some practical solutions for your home energy bill — and for traffic, congestion, your view of the night sky, and how to keep your coffee warm.

  • Agricultural Development in Africa: NEPAD’s Contribution over a Decade

    Agricultural Development in Africa: NEPAD’s Contribution over a Decade

    The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), a program of the African Union, was launched in Lusaka, Zambia in July 2001. NEPAD offered a fundamentally new approach to development. African leaders set out to pursue new priorities and methods to transform the continent politically and socio-economically, focusing on Africa’s growth, development and participation in the…

  • Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Relatively cheap, simple steps using existing technologies could cut projected global warming by one degree Fahrenheit – a substantial amount — by focusing on sources of methane and soot, concludes a new study by an international team of scientists.

  • East Africa Drought Is “Exceptional”

    East Africa Drought Is “Exceptional”

    Climate scientist Simon Mason talks about the drought and the role of climate information in disaster preparedness and response.

  • Restoring Damaged Ecosystems – The Challenge of Haiti

    Restoring Damaged Ecosystems – The Challenge of Haiti

    In 2010, almost two-thirds of the world’s ecosystems were deemed degraded due to human impacts and mismanagement, but fortunately ecosystems can be restored. The Earth Institute’s work in Haiti illustrates just how complicated ecosystem restoration can be.

  • A Chat With Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science

    A Chat With Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science

    In candid conversation, wrought with his usual humor and wit, Dr. Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science, discusses topics ranging from the critical role of life on Earth and trends in sustainability to Taylor Swift, his own personal “Science Hall of Fame” and being called a tree-hugger.

  • From Development Practitioner to National Leader: Lessons from Garry Conille, Prime Minister of Haiti

    From Development Practitioner to National Leader: Lessons from Garry Conille, Prime Minister of Haiti

    Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille met with students and scientists of the Earth Institute to explore core issues of Haiti’s growth and development.

  • Natural Disasters: The Upside

    Natural Disasters: The Upside

    Floods, volcanoes, earthquakes–really, very little good news comes out of this sort of thing. Maybe the occasional feel-good story about, say, a child miraculously dug from the rubble days later, tired but unharmed and in good spirits, having survived on a cache of crackers and Coke. Actually, says John Mutter, an Earth Institute professor of sustainability studies, disasters can sometimes…

  • A Meeting of Science and Human Impact

    A Meeting of Science and Human Impact

    A talk Monday by Cynthia Rosenzweig of the Center for Climate Systems Research serves as a good example of how some of the hard science being discussed at the American Geophysical Union’s fall meeting intersects directly with human welfare. She outlined the progress of a new global project that will help scientists produce more accurate…

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

  • The End of Traffic: Goals of an Ecopreneur

    The End of Traffic: Goals of an Ecopreneur

    Savraj Singh Danjal, an ecopreneur based in New Jersey, has some practical solutions for your home energy bill — and for traffic, congestion, your view of the night sky, and how to keep your coffee warm.

  • Agricultural Development in Africa: NEPAD’s Contribution over a Decade

    Agricultural Development in Africa: NEPAD’s Contribution over a Decade

    The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), a program of the African Union, was launched in Lusaka, Zambia in July 2001. NEPAD offered a fundamentally new approach to development. African leaders set out to pursue new priorities and methods to transform the continent politically and socio-economically, focusing on Africa’s growth, development and participation in the…

  • Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Relatively cheap, simple steps using existing technologies could cut projected global warming by one degree Fahrenheit – a substantial amount — by focusing on sources of methane and soot, concludes a new study by an international team of scientists.

  • East Africa Drought Is “Exceptional”

    East Africa Drought Is “Exceptional”

    Climate scientist Simon Mason talks about the drought and the role of climate information in disaster preparedness and response.

  • Restoring Damaged Ecosystems – The Challenge of Haiti

    Restoring Damaged Ecosystems – The Challenge of Haiti

    In 2010, almost two-thirds of the world’s ecosystems were deemed degraded due to human impacts and mismanagement, but fortunately ecosystems can be restored. The Earth Institute’s work in Haiti illustrates just how complicated ecosystem restoration can be.

  • A Chat With Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science

    A Chat With Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science

    In candid conversation, wrought with his usual humor and wit, Dr. Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science, discusses topics ranging from the critical role of life on Earth and trends in sustainability to Taylor Swift, his own personal “Science Hall of Fame” and being called a tree-hugger.

  • From Development Practitioner to National Leader: Lessons from Garry Conille, Prime Minister of Haiti

    From Development Practitioner to National Leader: Lessons from Garry Conille, Prime Minister of Haiti

    Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille met with students and scientists of the Earth Institute to explore core issues of Haiti’s growth and development.

  • Natural Disasters: The Upside

    Natural Disasters: The Upside

    Floods, volcanoes, earthquakes–really, very little good news comes out of this sort of thing. Maybe the occasional feel-good story about, say, a child miraculously dug from the rubble days later, tired but unharmed and in good spirits, having survived on a cache of crackers and Coke. Actually, says John Mutter, an Earth Institute professor of sustainability studies, disasters can sometimes…

  • A Meeting of Science and Human Impact

    A Meeting of Science and Human Impact

    A talk Monday by Cynthia Rosenzweig of the Center for Climate Systems Research serves as a good example of how some of the hard science being discussed at the American Geophysical Union’s fall meeting intersects directly with human welfare. She outlined the progress of a new global project that will help scientists produce more accurate…