State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate224

  • ‘This is a wake-up call – don’t hit the snooze button’

    ‘This is a wake-up call – don’t hit the snooze button’

    For years before Hurricane Sandy charged ashore on Monday, researchers from the Earth Institute knew what was coming. As the region struggles to recover from this “superstorm,” we asked some of them to consider the lessons we can learn as we move forward.

  • A Prescient Voice on Sandy: Suddenly Everyone Is Listening

    A Prescient Voice on Sandy: Suddenly Everyone Is Listening

    For much of the last decade, Klaus Jacob warned of New York’s vulnerability to severe flooding in a major storm. Four days after the storm that crippled New York and New Jersey and swamped his own home along the Hudson River, Jacob reflected on Sandy’s lessons and what comes next.

  • Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    If you wanted to get a sense of the State of the Planet, you didn’t need to be at the Columbia University conference on Oct. 11. You just needed to follow #SOP2012. Six hundred people gathered at the event to think about the future of sustainable development, while 476 people sent 1,300 tweets, making about…

  • The Science and the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

    The Science and the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

    Reports and studies have been imagining events like Sandy for years now; so why were so few people ready to listen? And will this lead to a serious conversation about climate change in the halls of power?

  • Launching the Season with a Key Mission – IceBridge Antarctica 2012

    Launching the Season with a Key Mission – IceBridge Antarctica 2012

    This month, IceBridge Antarctica resumes. The crews have spent the last few weeks in Palmdale, where the DC8 is based, for instrument installation and test flights prior to our move down to Punta Arenas, our home base for IceBridge Antarctica.

  • Influencing Students Towards a More Sustainable Path

    In a recent interview, Dr. Stuart Gaffin provided his thoughts on the direction that the field of sustainability is moving into. In his words, urban environmental research is the topic of the day: “Many cities, including New York, are putting ambitious plans in place to reduce emissions, and implement adaptation practices, including novel green infrastructure…

  • Watering the World’s Crops, Drop by Drop

    Watering the World’s Crops, Drop by Drop

    Dr. Daniel Hillel was recently honored with the World Food Prize for his pioneering work in sustainable agriculture.

  • The Truth About Verification

    The Truth About Verification

    The December 2011 precipitation forecast issued by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society called for a 75 percent chance of above normal precipitation over parts of the Philippines between January and March. As the months played out, storms brought roughly eight inches more rain than usual for the period. That’s about 85 percent…

  • Columbia-PepsiCo Collaboration Creates Tool for Calculating Carbon Footprints

    Columbia-PepsiCo Collaboration Creates Tool for Calculating Carbon Footprints

    Researchers at the Earth Institute’s Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy working in collaboration with PepsiCo, Inc. have developed new software that rapidly calculates the carbon footprints of thousands of products simultaneously.

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!

  • ‘This is a wake-up call – don’t hit the snooze button’

    ‘This is a wake-up call – don’t hit the snooze button’

    For years before Hurricane Sandy charged ashore on Monday, researchers from the Earth Institute knew what was coming. As the region struggles to recover from this “superstorm,” we asked some of them to consider the lessons we can learn as we move forward.

  • A Prescient Voice on Sandy: Suddenly Everyone Is Listening

    A Prescient Voice on Sandy: Suddenly Everyone Is Listening

    For much of the last decade, Klaus Jacob warned of New York’s vulnerability to severe flooding in a major storm. Four days after the storm that crippled New York and New Jersey and swamped his own home along the Hudson River, Jacob reflected on Sandy’s lessons and what comes next.

  • Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    If you wanted to get a sense of the State of the Planet, you didn’t need to be at the Columbia University conference on Oct. 11. You just needed to follow #SOP2012. Six hundred people gathered at the event to think about the future of sustainable development, while 476 people sent 1,300 tweets, making about…

  • The Science and the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

    The Science and the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy

    Reports and studies have been imagining events like Sandy for years now; so why were so few people ready to listen? And will this lead to a serious conversation about climate change in the halls of power?

  • Launching the Season with a Key Mission – IceBridge Antarctica 2012

    Launching the Season with a Key Mission – IceBridge Antarctica 2012

    This month, IceBridge Antarctica resumes. The crews have spent the last few weeks in Palmdale, where the DC8 is based, for instrument installation and test flights prior to our move down to Punta Arenas, our home base for IceBridge Antarctica.

  • Influencing Students Towards a More Sustainable Path

    In a recent interview, Dr. Stuart Gaffin provided his thoughts on the direction that the field of sustainability is moving into. In his words, urban environmental research is the topic of the day: “Many cities, including New York, are putting ambitious plans in place to reduce emissions, and implement adaptation practices, including novel green infrastructure…

  • Watering the World’s Crops, Drop by Drop

    Watering the World’s Crops, Drop by Drop

    Dr. Daniel Hillel was recently honored with the World Food Prize for his pioneering work in sustainable agriculture.

  • The Truth About Verification

    The Truth About Verification

    The December 2011 precipitation forecast issued by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society called for a 75 percent chance of above normal precipitation over parts of the Philippines between January and March. As the months played out, storms brought roughly eight inches more rain than usual for the period. That’s about 85 percent…

  • Columbia-PepsiCo Collaboration Creates Tool for Calculating Carbon Footprints

    Columbia-PepsiCo Collaboration Creates Tool for Calculating Carbon Footprints

    Researchers at the Earth Institute’s Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy working in collaboration with PepsiCo, Inc. have developed new software that rapidly calculates the carbon footprints of thousands of products simultaneously.