State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate212

  • Greenhouse Gases Like Steroids for Extreme Weather

    Greenhouse Gases Like Steroids for Extreme Weather

    The fourth seminar in the Earth Institute’s Sustainable Development Seminar Series, “Ch Ch Ch Changes – recent trends in temperature extremes and hydroclimate,” brought together experts in the fields of climate change and hydrology to discuss emerging trends in global weather events.

  • Where’s My Seasonal Tornado Forecast?

    Where’s My Seasonal Tornado Forecast?

    Tornadoes, derechos and other violent storms can kill hundreds each year and cause billions in damages. How well can we predict them? How will climate change influence their occurrence? Experts from around the country discussed these issues at a recent workshop.

  • Water Security: Finding Solutions for a World at Risk

    Water Security: Finding Solutions for a World at Risk

    “This is a mess, and it is a mess that we have not attended to yet,” Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs said at a conference on water security held today at Columbia University. “Humanity is the driver, but we don’t have our hands on the steering wheel very much.”

  • Partnering to Expand Access to Water: PepsiCo and CWC Announce Achievement of Safe Water Goal

    Partnering to Expand Access to Water: PepsiCo and CWC Announce Achievement of Safe Water Goal

    Earth Institute partner PepsiCo has achieved its stated goal of partnering with organizations, including the Columbia Water Center, to provide access to safe water to three million people in developing countries by the end of 2015.

  • IRI to develop climate adaptation tools to help farmers in South and Southeast Asia

    IRI to develop climate adaptation tools to help farmers in South and Southeast Asia

    A new two-year climate change initiative, led by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society aims to help farmers in Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Bangladesh reduce their vulnerability to climate risks.

  • IRI Names New Deputy Director

    IRI Names New Deputy Director

    Haresh Bhojwani will coordinate IRI’s connections with development and humanitarian organizations so that its research can target the needs of those vulnerable to climate impacts, especially through the institution’s international collaborations.

  • The Art / Science Dating Game

    The Art / Science Dating Game

    On March 27 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, PositiveFeedback and the Met will host The Art and Science Dating Game: How Artists and Scientists Find Each Other…And What Happens Next? This event will feature a dialogue between three pairs of collaborators—scientists and artists focused on climate change—and is meant to inspire and motivate individuals…

  • NY State Prepares for Natural Disasters: A Q&A with Cynthia Rosenzweig

    NY State Prepares for Natural Disasters: A Q&A with Cynthia Rosenzweig

    Cynthia Rosenzweig of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies talks about the work of the New York State Ready Commission, set up after Hurricane Sandy to study how the state can better prepare for natural disasters.

  • Pedaling to Power a Movement: An Invitation to Join Climate Ride 2013

    Pedaling to Power a Movement: An Invitation to Join Climate Ride 2013

    Student Scott Miller, who raised $3,000 for the Earth Institute last year on a 300-mile bike ride from New York to Washington, plans to do it again, and he’s inviting you to join him.

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

  • Greenhouse Gases Like Steroids for Extreme Weather

    Greenhouse Gases Like Steroids for Extreme Weather

    The fourth seminar in the Earth Institute’s Sustainable Development Seminar Series, “Ch Ch Ch Changes – recent trends in temperature extremes and hydroclimate,” brought together experts in the fields of climate change and hydrology to discuss emerging trends in global weather events.

  • Where’s My Seasonal Tornado Forecast?

    Where’s My Seasonal Tornado Forecast?

    Tornadoes, derechos and other violent storms can kill hundreds each year and cause billions in damages. How well can we predict them? How will climate change influence their occurrence? Experts from around the country discussed these issues at a recent workshop.

  • Water Security: Finding Solutions for a World at Risk

    Water Security: Finding Solutions for a World at Risk

    “This is a mess, and it is a mess that we have not attended to yet,” Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs said at a conference on water security held today at Columbia University. “Humanity is the driver, but we don’t have our hands on the steering wheel very much.”

  • Partnering to Expand Access to Water: PepsiCo and CWC Announce Achievement of Safe Water Goal

    Partnering to Expand Access to Water: PepsiCo and CWC Announce Achievement of Safe Water Goal

    Earth Institute partner PepsiCo has achieved its stated goal of partnering with organizations, including the Columbia Water Center, to provide access to safe water to three million people in developing countries by the end of 2015.

  • IRI to develop climate adaptation tools to help farmers in South and Southeast Asia

    IRI to develop climate adaptation tools to help farmers in South and Southeast Asia

    A new two-year climate change initiative, led by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society aims to help farmers in Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Bangladesh reduce their vulnerability to climate risks.

  • IRI Names New Deputy Director

    IRI Names New Deputy Director

    Haresh Bhojwani will coordinate IRI’s connections with development and humanitarian organizations so that its research can target the needs of those vulnerable to climate impacts, especially through the institution’s international collaborations.

  • The Art / Science Dating Game

    The Art / Science Dating Game

    On March 27 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, PositiveFeedback and the Met will host The Art and Science Dating Game: How Artists and Scientists Find Each Other…And What Happens Next? This event will feature a dialogue between three pairs of collaborators—scientists and artists focused on climate change—and is meant to inspire and motivate individuals…

  • NY State Prepares for Natural Disasters: A Q&A with Cynthia Rosenzweig

    NY State Prepares for Natural Disasters: A Q&A with Cynthia Rosenzweig

    Cynthia Rosenzweig of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies talks about the work of the New York State Ready Commission, set up after Hurricane Sandy to study how the state can better prepare for natural disasters.

  • Pedaling to Power a Movement: An Invitation to Join Climate Ride 2013

    Pedaling to Power a Movement: An Invitation to Join Climate Ride 2013

    Student Scott Miller, who raised $3,000 for the Earth Institute last year on a 300-mile bike ride from New York to Washington, plans to do it again, and he’s inviting you to join him.