State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate156

  • Antarctic Scientists Honor Obama by Collecting Climate Data

    Antarctic Scientists Honor Obama by Collecting Climate Data

    Researchers studying the West Antarctic Peninsula marine ecosystem will recognize President Obama’s efforts to combat global warming by collecting climate data at an oceanographic station they named for the 44th president.

  • 2016 Sets Another Record for Warmth

    2016 Sets Another Record for Warmth

    The news doesn’t come as a surprise to scientists and others who’ve been watching, but marks a milestone nonetheless: 2016 was the warmest year on record, dating back to the start of modern record keeping in 1880.

  • Green Sahara’s Ancient Rainfall Regime Revealed

    Green Sahara’s Ancient Rainfall Regime Revealed

    Rainfall patterns in the Sahara during the six-thousand-year “Green Sahara” period have been revealed by analyzing marine sediments, according to new research.

  • What You Can Do to Keep Us Moving Forward on Climate

    What You Can Do to Keep Us Moving Forward on Climate

    Many people are concerned that the Republican-controlled Congress and Trump’s administration will stop or reverse the progress the Obama administration has made on climate change. Here’s what you can do about it.

  • The Distracted, Dysfunctional Presidential Transition and the EPA

    The Distracted, Dysfunctional Presidential Transition and the EPA

    The presidential transition process will continue to contain distractions, disinformation and dysfunction, but my hope is that the people running our national government remember that we need clean air, water and food to live. Government’s fundamental function is ensuring our security and health. Environmental rules must be enforced for that function to be performed.

  • How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    Climate change is already affecting New York, and these changes will have profound effects on its ecosystems, plants and animals. What are the implications of these projected changes?

  • Environmental Science and Speaking Truth to Power

    Environmental Science and Speaking Truth to Power

    Denying the science of global warming is absurd, but accepting the science of climate change does not require decision-makers to accept the policy prescriptions of climate scientists.

  • Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    The Earth Institute digs into the past, tracks the present and models the future of climate. We explore the broader issues surrounding climate change, seek ways to apply our knowledge to real solutions, and nurture collaboration among faculty and researchers in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, law, public health, engineering, architecture and urban…

  • Earth Institute 2017 Calendar Now Available

    Earth Institute 2017 Calendar Now Available

    To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we asked members of the Earth Institute community to submit photographs for a 2017 wall calendar highlighting our work. Watch a slide show of some of the submissions. Donate $25 or more and we’ll send you the calendar.

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

  • Antarctic Scientists Honor Obama by Collecting Climate Data

    Antarctic Scientists Honor Obama by Collecting Climate Data

    Researchers studying the West Antarctic Peninsula marine ecosystem will recognize President Obama’s efforts to combat global warming by collecting climate data at an oceanographic station they named for the 44th president.

  • 2016 Sets Another Record for Warmth

    2016 Sets Another Record for Warmth

    The news doesn’t come as a surprise to scientists and others who’ve been watching, but marks a milestone nonetheless: 2016 was the warmest year on record, dating back to the start of modern record keeping in 1880.

  • Green Sahara’s Ancient Rainfall Regime Revealed

    Green Sahara’s Ancient Rainfall Regime Revealed

    Rainfall patterns in the Sahara during the six-thousand-year “Green Sahara” period have been revealed by analyzing marine sediments, according to new research.

  • What You Can Do to Keep Us Moving Forward on Climate

    What You Can Do to Keep Us Moving Forward on Climate

    Many people are concerned that the Republican-controlled Congress and Trump’s administration will stop or reverse the progress the Obama administration has made on climate change. Here’s what you can do about it.

  • The Distracted, Dysfunctional Presidential Transition and the EPA

    The Distracted, Dysfunctional Presidential Transition and the EPA

    The presidential transition process will continue to contain distractions, disinformation and dysfunction, but my hope is that the people running our national government remember that we need clean air, water and food to live. Government’s fundamental function is ensuring our security and health. Environmental rules must be enforced for that function to be performed.

  • How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    Climate change is already affecting New York, and these changes will have profound effects on its ecosystems, plants and animals. What are the implications of these projected changes?

  • Environmental Science and Speaking Truth to Power

    Environmental Science and Speaking Truth to Power

    Denying the science of global warming is absurd, but accepting the science of climate change does not require decision-makers to accept the policy prescriptions of climate scientists.

  • Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    The Earth Institute digs into the past, tracks the present and models the future of climate. We explore the broader issues surrounding climate change, seek ways to apply our knowledge to real solutions, and nurture collaboration among faculty and researchers in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, law, public health, engineering, architecture and urban…

  • Earth Institute 2017 Calendar Now Available

    Earth Institute 2017 Calendar Now Available

    To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we asked members of the Earth Institute community to submit photographs for a 2017 wall calendar highlighting our work. Watch a slide show of some of the submissions. Donate $25 or more and we’ll send you the calendar.