State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate236

  • Sustainable Development Seniors Put Their Knowledge into Practice

    Seniors in the Sustainable Development program gained real life experience as consultants through their work on projects with the Natural Resource Defense Council, Population Council and Partnership for Parks, while at the same time providing these clients with fresh and innovative ideas.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/2

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/2

    NASA: Global warming caused mostly by humans USA Today, 1/31 The space agency published new calculations showing that the Earth absorbed more energy from the sun than it returned to space despite the low solar activity from 2005 to 2010. Availability of better measurements of ocean temperatures helped the research team improve their estimates of…

  • A Cup of Joe for #1000

    A Cup of Joe for #1000

    IRI is offering a token of thanks for helping us reach a Twitter milestone. Care to help us get there?

  • Richard Seager

    Richard Seager

    “What I like,” says Richard Seager, “is the fact that the Earth Institute has so many people working on the climate change and variability issue – from people like me doing the straight climate research to others working on how to build resilience to climate variability and change, to others working on how to prevent…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/22

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/22

    Signs of New Life as U.N. Searches for a Climate Accord, New York Times, Jan 24 The recently concluded meeting in Durban, South Africa, which established a new mandate for concluding a binding agreement of some sort by 2015, has given the process new life and hushed many of its critics. Christina Figueres, the Costa…

  • 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.

Colorful icons representing nature, sustainable living, and renewable energy with text "Earth Day 2026"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. Today, our scientists and experts are tackling the most pressing challenges to achieve real-world impact. This Earth Day, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • Sustainable Development Seniors Put Their Knowledge into Practice

    Seniors in the Sustainable Development program gained real life experience as consultants through their work on projects with the Natural Resource Defense Council, Population Council and Partnership for Parks, while at the same time providing these clients with fresh and innovative ideas.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/2

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/2

    NASA: Global warming caused mostly by humans USA Today, 1/31 The space agency published new calculations showing that the Earth absorbed more energy from the sun than it returned to space despite the low solar activity from 2005 to 2010. Availability of better measurements of ocean temperatures helped the research team improve their estimates of…

  • A Cup of Joe for #1000

    A Cup of Joe for #1000

    IRI is offering a token of thanks for helping us reach a Twitter milestone. Care to help us get there?

  • Richard Seager

    Richard Seager

    “What I like,” says Richard Seager, “is the fact that the Earth Institute has so many people working on the climate change and variability issue – from people like me doing the straight climate research to others working on how to build resilience to climate variability and change, to others working on how to prevent…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/22

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/22

    Signs of New Life as U.N. Searches for a Climate Accord, New York Times, Jan 24 The recently concluded meeting in Durban, South Africa, which established a new mandate for concluding a binding agreement of some sort by 2015, has given the process new life and hushed many of its critics. Christina Figueres, the Costa…

  • 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.