State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate177

  • 6 Million Years of Sediment, Studded with Tiny Fossils

    6 Million Years of Sediment, Studded with Tiny Fossils

    Sidney Hemming and her team have started examining their first sediment core from off southern Africa. It appears to contain about 6 million years of history.

  • Court Ruling on Clean Power Plan a Setback, But…

    Court Ruling on Clean Power Plan a Setback, But…

    The Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to postpone implementation of the Clean Power Plan represents a setback for efforts to combat climate change; but the damage to the U.S. ability to meet pledges it made at the Paris climate summit in December “is less than it might seem,” says Michael Gerrard.

  • Climate Change Isn’t Just a 21st Century Problem

    Climate Change Isn’t Just a 21st Century Problem

    Humans have been burning fossil fuels for only about 150 years, yet that has started a cascade of profound changes that at their current pace will still be felt 10,000 years from now, a new study shows.

  • Gearing Up for Our First Cores

    Gearing Up for Our First Cores

    As they get to know their ship, the scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution prepare to drill their first sediment cores along the Natal Valley off the coast of southern Africa.

  • The Sustainable City

    By concentrating human population in cities, we will make it possible to preserve land for wilderness, ecosystem maintenance and agriculture. People will travel to these places and will experience nature, but only a fortunate few will live close to nature.

  • Fast-Building Storms Play Key Role in Tropical Cyclone Risk

    Fast-Building Storms Play Key Role in Tropical Cyclone Risk

    In studying climate and tropical cyclones, researchers find a weather phenomenon at play.

  • Setting Off for Two Months at Sea

    Setting Off for Two Months at Sea

    Sidney Hemming and the scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution conduct the final preparations for their research cruise off southern Africa and introduce a girls’ school group from Mauritius to science at sea.

  • El Niño and Global Warming—What’s the Connection?

    El Niño and Global Warming—What’s the Connection?

    The United Nations has declared 2015 the hottest year since record keeping began. It was also a year marked by the occurrence of a “super” El Niño. Are the warming temperatures and El Niño connected?

  • Without the Montreal Protocol, More Intense Tropical Cyclones

    Without the Montreal Protocol, More Intense Tropical Cyclones

    Using one of the most advanced atmospheric computer models available, scientists compared our expected future with a scenario in which ozone-depleting substances had never been regulated.

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!

  • 6 Million Years of Sediment, Studded with Tiny Fossils

    6 Million Years of Sediment, Studded with Tiny Fossils

    Sidney Hemming and her team have started examining their first sediment core from off southern Africa. It appears to contain about 6 million years of history.

  • Court Ruling on Clean Power Plan a Setback, But…

    Court Ruling on Clean Power Plan a Setback, But…

    The Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to postpone implementation of the Clean Power Plan represents a setback for efforts to combat climate change; but the damage to the U.S. ability to meet pledges it made at the Paris climate summit in December “is less than it might seem,” says Michael Gerrard.

  • Climate Change Isn’t Just a 21st Century Problem

    Climate Change Isn’t Just a 21st Century Problem

    Humans have been burning fossil fuels for only about 150 years, yet that has started a cascade of profound changes that at their current pace will still be felt 10,000 years from now, a new study shows.

  • Gearing Up for Our First Cores

    Gearing Up for Our First Cores

    As they get to know their ship, the scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution prepare to drill their first sediment cores along the Natal Valley off the coast of southern Africa.

  • The Sustainable City

    By concentrating human population in cities, we will make it possible to preserve land for wilderness, ecosystem maintenance and agriculture. People will travel to these places and will experience nature, but only a fortunate few will live close to nature.

  • Fast-Building Storms Play Key Role in Tropical Cyclone Risk

    Fast-Building Storms Play Key Role in Tropical Cyclone Risk

    In studying climate and tropical cyclones, researchers find a weather phenomenon at play.

  • Setting Off for Two Months at Sea

    Setting Off for Two Months at Sea

    Sidney Hemming and the scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution conduct the final preparations for their research cruise off southern Africa and introduce a girls’ school group from Mauritius to science at sea.

  • El Niño and Global Warming—What’s the Connection?

    El Niño and Global Warming—What’s the Connection?

    The United Nations has declared 2015 the hottest year since record keeping began. It was also a year marked by the occurrence of a “super” El Niño. Are the warming temperatures and El Niño connected?

  • Without the Montreal Protocol, More Intense Tropical Cyclones

    Without the Montreal Protocol, More Intense Tropical Cyclones

    Using one of the most advanced atmospheric computer models available, scientists compared our expected future with a scenario in which ozone-depleting substances had never been regulated.