State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate147

  • What Caused the Great Famine?

    What Caused the Great Famine?

    Scientists are unraveling the driving forces of one of the worst environmental disasters in human history, in hopes of predicting and preparing for the next global drought.

  • How Can Changing Climate Affect a Civilization?

    How Can Changing Climate Affect a Civilization?

    Billy D’Andrea is trying to understand Easter Island’s climate history over the last few thousand years and how communities dealt with past climate change.

  • Columbia Climate Scientist Joins Quest to ‘Make Our Planet Great Again’

    Columbia Climate Scientist Joins Quest to ‘Make Our Planet Great Again’

    The International Research Institute for Climate and Society’s Alessandra Giannini was selected as one of French President’s Macron’s climate laureates.

  • Tiny Losses of Ice at Antarctica’s Fringes May Hasten Declines in Interior

    Tiny Losses of Ice at Antarctica’s Fringes May Hasten Declines in Interior

    A new study shows that even minor deterioration of ice shelves can instantaneously hasten the decline of ice hundreds of miles landward.

  • The Greenland Ice Sheet Is Sponging Up Meltwater

    The Greenland Ice Sheet Is Sponging Up Meltwater

    As climate warms, the surface of the Greenland ice sheet is melting, and all that meltwater ends up in seasonal rivers that flow to the sea. At least that is what scientists have assumed until now. A new study has shown that some of the meltwater is actually being soaked into porous subsurface ice and…

  • Understanding Earth’s Geologic History to Predict the Future

    Understanding Earth’s Geologic History to Predict the Future

    Organic geochemist Pratigya Polissar is developing new tools to look at the history of plants and ecosystems on Earth over the past 20 million years.

  • American Geophysical Union 2017: Key Events From the Earth Institute

    American Geophysical Union 2017: Key Events From the Earth Institute

    A chronological guide to key talks and other events presented by Columbia University’s Earth Institute at the American Geophysical Union 2017 meeting. 

  • Spring 2018 Earth Institute Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

    By Chandler Precht The Earth Institute, Columbia University, is offering undergraduate students with research assistant opportunities during the spring 2018 semester. Undergraduates from Columbia and Barnard will be able to serve as research assistants on research projects related to sustainable development and the environment with distinguished faculty and researchers at the cutting edge of this…

  • Spring 2018 Earth Institute Internship Opportunities

    By Chandler Precht The Earth Institute is offering undergraduate, graduate and PhD students with opportunities to intern in various departments and research centers in a variety of administration, communications and research roles. Interns work on a variety of sustainability-focused projects across The Earth Institute. These projects provide interns with hands-on workplace experience, allowing them to…

Banner with images representing environmental issues and text "You Asked: Our Scientists and Experts Answer Your Burning Questions."

You Asked invites you to share your most pressing questions about climate, science, and sustainability. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School experts will respond with clear, evidence-based answers. Pose your questions and story ideas!

  • What Caused the Great Famine?

    What Caused the Great Famine?

    Scientists are unraveling the driving forces of one of the worst environmental disasters in human history, in hopes of predicting and preparing for the next global drought.

  • How Can Changing Climate Affect a Civilization?

    How Can Changing Climate Affect a Civilization?

    Billy D’Andrea is trying to understand Easter Island’s climate history over the last few thousand years and how communities dealt with past climate change.

  • Columbia Climate Scientist Joins Quest to ‘Make Our Planet Great Again’

    Columbia Climate Scientist Joins Quest to ‘Make Our Planet Great Again’

    The International Research Institute for Climate and Society’s Alessandra Giannini was selected as one of French President’s Macron’s climate laureates.

  • Tiny Losses of Ice at Antarctica’s Fringes May Hasten Declines in Interior

    Tiny Losses of Ice at Antarctica’s Fringes May Hasten Declines in Interior

    A new study shows that even minor deterioration of ice shelves can instantaneously hasten the decline of ice hundreds of miles landward.

  • The Greenland Ice Sheet Is Sponging Up Meltwater

    The Greenland Ice Sheet Is Sponging Up Meltwater

    As climate warms, the surface of the Greenland ice sheet is melting, and all that meltwater ends up in seasonal rivers that flow to the sea. At least that is what scientists have assumed until now. A new study has shown that some of the meltwater is actually being soaked into porous subsurface ice and…

  • Understanding Earth’s Geologic History to Predict the Future

    Understanding Earth’s Geologic History to Predict the Future

    Organic geochemist Pratigya Polissar is developing new tools to look at the history of plants and ecosystems on Earth over the past 20 million years.

  • American Geophysical Union 2017: Key Events From the Earth Institute

    American Geophysical Union 2017: Key Events From the Earth Institute

    A chronological guide to key talks and other events presented by Columbia University’s Earth Institute at the American Geophysical Union 2017 meeting. 

  • Spring 2018 Earth Institute Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

    By Chandler Precht The Earth Institute, Columbia University, is offering undergraduate students with research assistant opportunities during the spring 2018 semester. Undergraduates from Columbia and Barnard will be able to serve as research assistants on research projects related to sustainable development and the environment with distinguished faculty and researchers at the cutting edge of this…

  • Spring 2018 Earth Institute Internship Opportunities

    By Chandler Precht The Earth Institute is offering undergraduate, graduate and PhD students with opportunities to intern in various departments and research centers in a variety of administration, communications and research roles. Interns work on a variety of sustainability-focused projects across The Earth Institute. These projects provide interns with hands-on workplace experience, allowing them to…