State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate161

  • Lessons of Climate Resilience in New York City

    Lessons of Climate Resilience in New York City

    The Earth Institute hosted a panel focused on how New York City, and other cities like it, can take steps to become stronger and more resilient in the face of climate change.

  • Can Climate Litigation Support Global Action on Climate Change?

    Can Climate Litigation Support Global Action on Climate Change?

    The Paris Climate Agreement officially goes into effect Nov. 4. But it will take much more to achieve its goals. Legal challenges could well provide one way for individuals, civil society and governments to support and reinforce global action on climate change.

  • Protecting Intellectual Property While Mitigating Climate Change: Can We Do Both?

    Protecting Intellectual Property While Mitigating Climate Change: Can We Do Both?

    The Paris Climate Agreement officially goes into effect Nov. 4. But it will take much more to achieve its goals. Legal mechanisms could well provide one way for individuals, civil society and governments to support and reinforce global action on climate change.

  • Watch: Cities and the Climate Change Challenge

    Watch: Cities and the Climate Change Challenge

    Join us for a symposium on Lessons of Climate Resilience in New York City this Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 6-7:15 p.m. in Low Library on the Columbia University campus.

  • Don’t Be Bewitched by Paris Climate Change Deal

    Don’t Be Bewitched by Paris Climate Change Deal

    “We can and should develop other agreements that ask countries to coordinate their actions rather than to reduce their emissions voluntarily. Countries are good at coordination, and not so good at volunteering to act in their collective interests.”

  • Building Consensus on Climate and Sustainability Policy

    The New York Times reported on a new international agreement that will phase out hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, a chemical that is used in refrigerators and air conditioners that is a powerful greenhouse gas. The irony is that HFCs were developed to replace chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, chemicals that caused a hole in our atmosphere’s ozone layer…

  • No Free Passes: Making Renewable Energy Responsible

    No Free Passes: Making Renewable Energy Responsible

    As the world rushes to invest in clean energy, the potential impacts of these projects on the rights of local individuals and communities need to be properly addressed.

  • Leaving Fossil Fuels in the Ground: Who, What and When?

    Leaving Fossil Fuels in the Ground: Who, What and When?

    In order to promote a broader conversation on the issue of equity and stranded assets, Oxfam recently released a report discussing whether there is a reasonable case to be made that developing countries should get preferential treatment so that they bear less of the burden when it comes to having their assets stranded.

  • What Happens to Ecosystems When Antarctica’s Ice Melts?

    What Happens to Ecosystems When Antarctica’s Ice Melts?

    A special section in the October issue of BioScience featuring research by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists examines the effects of intense melting on two Antarctic ecosystems, tracking impacts all the way from microbial food webs to shifting penguin populations.

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

  • Lessons of Climate Resilience in New York City

    Lessons of Climate Resilience in New York City

    The Earth Institute hosted a panel focused on how New York City, and other cities like it, can take steps to become stronger and more resilient in the face of climate change.

  • Can Climate Litigation Support Global Action on Climate Change?

    Can Climate Litigation Support Global Action on Climate Change?

    The Paris Climate Agreement officially goes into effect Nov. 4. But it will take much more to achieve its goals. Legal challenges could well provide one way for individuals, civil society and governments to support and reinforce global action on climate change.

  • Protecting Intellectual Property While Mitigating Climate Change: Can We Do Both?

    Protecting Intellectual Property While Mitigating Climate Change: Can We Do Both?

    The Paris Climate Agreement officially goes into effect Nov. 4. But it will take much more to achieve its goals. Legal mechanisms could well provide one way for individuals, civil society and governments to support and reinforce global action on climate change.

  • Watch: Cities and the Climate Change Challenge

    Watch: Cities and the Climate Change Challenge

    Join us for a symposium on Lessons of Climate Resilience in New York City this Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 6-7:15 p.m. in Low Library on the Columbia University campus.

  • Don’t Be Bewitched by Paris Climate Change Deal

    Don’t Be Bewitched by Paris Climate Change Deal

    “We can and should develop other agreements that ask countries to coordinate their actions rather than to reduce their emissions voluntarily. Countries are good at coordination, and not so good at volunteering to act in their collective interests.”

  • Building Consensus on Climate and Sustainability Policy

    The New York Times reported on a new international agreement that will phase out hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, a chemical that is used in refrigerators and air conditioners that is a powerful greenhouse gas. The irony is that HFCs were developed to replace chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, chemicals that caused a hole in our atmosphere’s ozone layer…

  • No Free Passes: Making Renewable Energy Responsible

    No Free Passes: Making Renewable Energy Responsible

    As the world rushes to invest in clean energy, the potential impacts of these projects on the rights of local individuals and communities need to be properly addressed.

  • Leaving Fossil Fuels in the Ground: Who, What and When?

    Leaving Fossil Fuels in the Ground: Who, What and When?

    In order to promote a broader conversation on the issue of equity and stranded assets, Oxfam recently released a report discussing whether there is a reasonable case to be made that developing countries should get preferential treatment so that they bear less of the burden when it comes to having their assets stranded.

  • What Happens to Ecosystems When Antarctica’s Ice Melts?

    What Happens to Ecosystems When Antarctica’s Ice Melts?

    A special section in the October issue of BioScience featuring research by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists examines the effects of intense melting on two Antarctic ecosystems, tracking impacts all the way from microbial food webs to shifting penguin populations.