State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate161

  • ‘We are Headed Towards Hostile State of the Climate System’

    ‘We are Headed Towards Hostile State of the Climate System’

    Yochanan Kushnir: “As a climate scientist who directly engages in studying the phenomena and mechanisms of climate variability and change I am convinced that we are headed towards a different, and to many people hostile, state of the climate system, with a worldwide impact including many parts of the U.S.”

  • Implications of Leaving Paris More Intricate Than You Think

    Implications of Leaving Paris More Intricate Than You Think

    The implications of withdrawal are more intricate than what people have been fixating on so far.

  • The Paris Climate Agreement: What Trump’s Decision to Leave Means

    The Paris Climate Agreement: What Trump’s Decision to Leave Means

    In the wake of the decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, several questions have emerged about what withdrawal means for environmental policy, research and innovation.

  • Meltwater Lakes Existed Under Antarctic Ice in Ancient Times

    Meltwater Lakes Existed Under Antarctic Ice in Ancient Times

    In recent years, scientists have discovered hundreds of lakes lying hidden deep beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. Now a team of researchers has found the remains of at least one sub-ice lake that existed when the ice was far more extensive, in sediments on the Antarctic continental shelf.

  • IRI Unveils Its New Generation of Climate Forecasts

    IRI Unveils Its New Generation of Climate Forecasts

    This spring, IRI implemented a new methodology for seasonal temperature and precipitation forecasts. We asked Simon Mason, Andrew Robertson and Tony Barnston, senior climate scientists who lead the development and tailoring of IRI’s forecasts, to answer some fundamental questions about the new forecast.

  • America’s Dam Crisis: Was Oroville Just a Drop in the Bucket?

    America’s Dam Crisis: Was Oroville Just a Drop in the Bucket?

    Columbia Water Center experts argue that dam infrastructure issues must be connected to a broader conversation about America’s water resources.

  • In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    As the world warms due to human-induced climate change, many scientists have been projecting that global rainfall patterns will shift. In the latest such study, two leading researchers map out how seasonal shifts may affect water resources across the planet.

  • Trump’s Relevance on Climate Change

    Trump’s Relevance on Climate Change

    While Fortune 500 companies, our state and local governments, and foreign countries are all beginning the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the current U.S. federal government refuses to see the danger of climate change or the economic opportunities presented by modernizing our energy system.

  • Vegetation Can Strongly Alter Climate and Weather, Study Finds

    Vegetation Can Strongly Alter Climate and Weather, Study Finds

    A new analysis of global satellite observations shows that vegetation can powerfully alter atmospheric patterns that influence climate and weather.

Blue banner with kids and Earth photos. Text: "Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House, Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10am-4pm.

On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!

  • ‘We are Headed Towards Hostile State of the Climate System’

    ‘We are Headed Towards Hostile State of the Climate System’

    Yochanan Kushnir: “As a climate scientist who directly engages in studying the phenomena and mechanisms of climate variability and change I am convinced that we are headed towards a different, and to many people hostile, state of the climate system, with a worldwide impact including many parts of the U.S.”

  • Implications of Leaving Paris More Intricate Than You Think

    Implications of Leaving Paris More Intricate Than You Think

    The implications of withdrawal are more intricate than what people have been fixating on so far.

  • The Paris Climate Agreement: What Trump’s Decision to Leave Means

    The Paris Climate Agreement: What Trump’s Decision to Leave Means

    In the wake of the decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, several questions have emerged about what withdrawal means for environmental policy, research and innovation.

  • Meltwater Lakes Existed Under Antarctic Ice in Ancient Times

    Meltwater Lakes Existed Under Antarctic Ice in Ancient Times

    In recent years, scientists have discovered hundreds of lakes lying hidden deep beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. Now a team of researchers has found the remains of at least one sub-ice lake that existed when the ice was far more extensive, in sediments on the Antarctic continental shelf.

  • IRI Unveils Its New Generation of Climate Forecasts

    IRI Unveils Its New Generation of Climate Forecasts

    This spring, IRI implemented a new methodology for seasonal temperature and precipitation forecasts. We asked Simon Mason, Andrew Robertson and Tony Barnston, senior climate scientists who lead the development and tailoring of IRI’s forecasts, to answer some fundamental questions about the new forecast.

  • America’s Dam Crisis: Was Oroville Just a Drop in the Bucket?

    America’s Dam Crisis: Was Oroville Just a Drop in the Bucket?

    Columbia Water Center experts argue that dam infrastructure issues must be connected to a broader conversation about America’s water resources.

  • In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    As the world warms due to human-induced climate change, many scientists have been projecting that global rainfall patterns will shift. In the latest such study, two leading researchers map out how seasonal shifts may affect water resources across the planet.

  • Trump’s Relevance on Climate Change

    Trump’s Relevance on Climate Change

    While Fortune 500 companies, our state and local governments, and foreign countries are all beginning the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the current U.S. federal government refuses to see the danger of climate change or the economic opportunities presented by modernizing our energy system.

  • Vegetation Can Strongly Alter Climate and Weather, Study Finds

    Vegetation Can Strongly Alter Climate and Weather, Study Finds

    A new analysis of global satellite observations shows that vegetation can powerfully alter atmospheric patterns that influence climate and weather.