State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate163

  • Symposium this Week on Climate and Adaptation

    Symposium this Week on Climate and Adaptation

    This week climate scientists from the United States and Europe will join with officials from government and international agencies at Columbia to share knowledge about climate change and strategies for adaptation in North America and the Caribbean.

  • California’s First In The Nation Climate Plan

    California’s First In The Nation Climate Plan

    The goal of the energy transition is to create a renewable energy system that is as effective and reliable as the current fossil fuel-based system. Microgrids provide backup capacity and vastly increase the reliability of power systems for consumers. A second goal of the energy transition is to switch off of fossil fuels and rely…

  • Climate and Cod

    Climate and Cod

    A new study finds that the climatological phenomenon known as the North Atlantic Oscillation contributes to fluctuations in the cod population off the New England coast, and could help fishery managers protect the population from future collapse.

  • A Summer of Hands-on, Minds-On Science

    A Summer of Hands-on, Minds-On Science

    Twelve students from New York and New Jersey are spending July in laboratories at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, working with the scientists. The internship program enables students to spend four weeks exploring what it means to be an earth scientist.

  • Climate Change and the Complexity of Science

    Climate Change and the Complexity of Science

    The diplomatic debate about phasing out HFCs has been underway for seven years, but the technology of refrigerant coolants appears to have finally caught up with the need for replacement technology. Once replacement technology is available, diplomacy becomes possible.

  • For Climate Change, Carbon Pricing is No Silver Bullet

    For Climate Change, Carbon Pricing is No Silver Bullet

    Many economists and policy experts believe carbon pricing is the most effective way to deal with global warming. But others argue that carbon pricing is not a silver bullet for dealing with climate change. Here’s why.

  • Connecting Space to Village in West Africa

    Connecting Space to Village in West Africa

    A new project, SERVIR-West Africa, will use space-based climate, weather land cover, and other NASA satellite data to address issues such as food security and the availability of fresh water in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Niger.

  • Tropical Cyclones on Track to Grow More Intense as Temperatures Rise

    Aerosols have compensated for greenhouse gases, but won’t in future

  • The World’s First Seasonal Lightning Forecast

    The World’s First Seasonal Lightning Forecast

    At about 250 lightning flashes per square kilometer per year, the Lake Maracaibo Basin in northwestern Venezuela has the highest annual lightning rate of any place in the world.

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • Symposium this Week on Climate and Adaptation

    Symposium this Week on Climate and Adaptation

    This week climate scientists from the United States and Europe will join with officials from government and international agencies at Columbia to share knowledge about climate change and strategies for adaptation in North America and the Caribbean.

  • California’s First In The Nation Climate Plan

    California’s First In The Nation Climate Plan

    The goal of the energy transition is to create a renewable energy system that is as effective and reliable as the current fossil fuel-based system. Microgrids provide backup capacity and vastly increase the reliability of power systems for consumers. A second goal of the energy transition is to switch off of fossil fuels and rely…

  • Climate and Cod

    Climate and Cod

    A new study finds that the climatological phenomenon known as the North Atlantic Oscillation contributes to fluctuations in the cod population off the New England coast, and could help fishery managers protect the population from future collapse.

  • A Summer of Hands-on, Minds-On Science

    A Summer of Hands-on, Minds-On Science

    Twelve students from New York and New Jersey are spending July in laboratories at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, working with the scientists. The internship program enables students to spend four weeks exploring what it means to be an earth scientist.

  • Climate Change and the Complexity of Science

    Climate Change and the Complexity of Science

    The diplomatic debate about phasing out HFCs has been underway for seven years, but the technology of refrigerant coolants appears to have finally caught up with the need for replacement technology. Once replacement technology is available, diplomacy becomes possible.

  • For Climate Change, Carbon Pricing is No Silver Bullet

    For Climate Change, Carbon Pricing is No Silver Bullet

    Many economists and policy experts believe carbon pricing is the most effective way to deal with global warming. But others argue that carbon pricing is not a silver bullet for dealing with climate change. Here’s why.

  • Connecting Space to Village in West Africa

    Connecting Space to Village in West Africa

    A new project, SERVIR-West Africa, will use space-based climate, weather land cover, and other NASA satellite data to address issues such as food security and the availability of fresh water in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Niger.

  • Tropical Cyclones on Track to Grow More Intense as Temperatures Rise

    Aerosols have compensated for greenhouse gases, but won’t in future

  • The World’s First Seasonal Lightning Forecast

    The World’s First Seasonal Lightning Forecast

    At about 250 lightning flashes per square kilometer per year, the Lake Maracaibo Basin in northwestern Venezuela has the highest annual lightning rate of any place in the world.