State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate234

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/17

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/17

    Rejecting Pipeline Proposal, Obama Blames Congress; Five Myths About the Keystone Pipeline; GM microbe breakthrough paves way for large-scale seaweed farming for biofuels; Clean Energy Investment Rises to $260 Billion, Boosted by Solar.

  • African Forests, Threatened, but Resilient

    African Forests, Threatened, but Resilient

    Forests and climate change are fundamentally interrelated.  Forests play a role in mitigating climate change by trapping and storing carbon in their trees.  Currently, the world’s forests and forest soils store more than one trillion tons of carbon – twice the amount in the atmosphere. The African continent is home to 30% of the world’s…

  • Scientists Make Progress in Assessing Tornado Seasons

    Study Offers First Step in Short-Term Forecasting

  • Does La Niña Lead to Flu Pandemics?

    Does La Niña Lead to Flu Pandemics?

    Four major flu pandemics of the last century, including the deadly 1918 flu, were all proceeded by La Niña conditions in the Pacific, according to a recent paper.

  • Building NYC’s Resilience to Climate Change With Green Infrastructure

    Building NYC’s Resilience to Climate Change With Green Infrastructure

    Climate change will impact New York City through more frequent heavy precipitation, sea level rise and rising temperatures. To strengthen its resilience, the city is planting trees and mini-parks, restoring wetlands and installing more permeable surfaces.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/09

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/09

    To Slow Climate Change, Cut Down on Soot, Ozone; Investors Say Private Sector Must Tackle Climate Change; US Teachers Offered Support for Climate Change Lessons;Massive ecological change predicted for Canada: NASA

  • Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Relatively cheap, simple steps using existing technologies could cut projected global warming by one degree Fahrenheit – a substantial amount — by focusing on sources of methane and soot, concludes a new study by an international team of scientists.

  • Cuts in Non-CO2 Pollutants May Slow Climate Change

    Reducing Soot and Methane Would Bring Fast Results, Says Study

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/01

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/01

    Police Inquiry Prompts New Speculation on Who Leaked Climate-Change E-mails, Jan 1, New York Times Speculation has revived about the identity of the hacker responsible for releasing more than 1,000 private e-mails on the Internet in an attempt to discredit climate scientists. In November, another round of e-mails between scientists were distributed online before the…

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/17

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/17

    Rejecting Pipeline Proposal, Obama Blames Congress; Five Myths About the Keystone Pipeline; GM microbe breakthrough paves way for large-scale seaweed farming for biofuels; Clean Energy Investment Rises to $260 Billion, Boosted by Solar.

  • African Forests, Threatened, but Resilient

    African Forests, Threatened, but Resilient

    Forests and climate change are fundamentally interrelated.  Forests play a role in mitigating climate change by trapping and storing carbon in their trees.  Currently, the world’s forests and forest soils store more than one trillion tons of carbon – twice the amount in the atmosphere. The African continent is home to 30% of the world’s…

  • Scientists Make Progress in Assessing Tornado Seasons

    Study Offers First Step in Short-Term Forecasting

  • Does La Niña Lead to Flu Pandemics?

    Does La Niña Lead to Flu Pandemics?

    Four major flu pandemics of the last century, including the deadly 1918 flu, were all proceeded by La Niña conditions in the Pacific, according to a recent paper.

  • Building NYC’s Resilience to Climate Change With Green Infrastructure

    Building NYC’s Resilience to Climate Change With Green Infrastructure

    Climate change will impact New York City through more frequent heavy precipitation, sea level rise and rising temperatures. To strengthen its resilience, the city is planting trees and mini-parks, restoring wetlands and installing more permeable surfaces.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/09

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/09

    To Slow Climate Change, Cut Down on Soot, Ozone; Investors Say Private Sector Must Tackle Climate Change; US Teachers Offered Support for Climate Change Lessons;Massive ecological change predicted for Canada: NASA

  • Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Relatively cheap, simple steps using existing technologies could cut projected global warming by one degree Fahrenheit – a substantial amount — by focusing on sources of methane and soot, concludes a new study by an international team of scientists.

  • Cuts in Non-CO2 Pollutants May Slow Climate Change

    Reducing Soot and Methane Would Bring Fast Results, Says Study

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/01

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/01

    Police Inquiry Prompts New Speculation on Who Leaked Climate-Change E-mails, Jan 1, New York Times Speculation has revived about the identity of the hacker responsible for releasing more than 1,000 private e-mails on the Internet in an attempt to discredit climate scientists. In November, another round of e-mails between scientists were distributed online before the…