Climate217
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Summer Heat Wave May Have Triggered Landslide on Lonely Alaskan Glacier
A massive landslide in Alaska’s snowy Wrangell-St. Elias mountain range in July may have been caused by a summer heat wave making some slopes more vulnerable to collapse, says the Lamont-Doherty scientist who first discovered the avalanche.
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James Hansen to Lead New Program on Climate Science and Policy
A Focus on Practical Results
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Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future
“One of the ways that climate change is going to manifest is through warmer temperatures. … What we are seeing, in line with our projections, is that even if you assume constant precipitation, the temperature effects are so large that it is going to dry things out. This is going to have really big impacts…
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From Consulting to Cycling: MSSM Alumni Join Climate Ride
MSSM alums JD Capuano, Eileen Quigley, and Ryan Meinke have gone on to make businesses more sustainable, adaptive and innovative through their work as consultants. This September, the group will take their passion for sustainability one step further when they ride 320 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness and support…
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What We Learned From Hurricane Sandy
Earth Institute experts weigh in as the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy approaches.
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After Sandy: Climate and Our Coastal Future
Shortly after Hurricane Sandy, Columbia University convened a forum featuring faculty researchers from The Earth Institute, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, NASA-Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the Mailman School of Public Health, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of International and Public Affairs. This university-wide conversation, co-sponsored by The Earth Institute,…
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Obama’s Climate Legacy Depends on EPA’s Gina McCarthy
Due to Congressional gridlock over greenhouse gas regulations, Obama will need the help of new EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to pass crucial carbon emission standards.
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Tackling an Ice Age Mystery
In a new study in Nature, climate scientist Maureen Raymo and her colleagues show that variations in sunlight interact with Earth’s topography and the size of ice sheets to control Earth’s ice ages on 100,000 year cycles. One important finding: as ice sheets grow bigger, they also become more vulnerable to melting.
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Ozone-Protection Treaty Had Climate Benefits, Too, Study Says
The global treaty that headed off destruction of earth’s protective ozone layer has also prevented major disruption of global rainfall patterns, according to a new study in the Journal of Climate. The 1987 Montreal Protocol phased out the use of chloroflourocarbons, or CFCs, a class of chemicals that destroy ozone in the stratosphere, allowing more…
COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More
