State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate237

  • New York State May Soon Suffer Outsize Effects from Climate, Says Report

    From Farms to Subways, Many Sectors Could Be Affected

  • PhD. Ode to a Tree

    PhD. Ode to a Tree

    “I was deeply saddened by the loss of one of our most beautiful trees on campus during the last storm. It had perfect symmetry and such a beautiful color display late in the fall,” wrote geochemist Martin Stute, after a highly unusual heavy October snow felled a 22-year-old Bradford pear at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where he…

  • Winter Extremes: So Last Year?

    Winter Extremes: So Last Year?

    What are the odds that this winter will be as snowy as the last two? Climate scientist Jason Smerdon and tree-ring scientist Rosanne D’Arrigo are working on an answer, looking at the long-term history of two important weather patterns—the North Atlantic Oscillation and La Niña state in the tropical Pacific—that similar to last year could…

  • Trees on Tundra’s Border Are Growing Faster in a Hotter Climate

    Measuring Techniques Improve—But Implications Are Not Certain

  • Health Risks From Famine Likely to Persist

    Health Risks From Famine Likely to Persist

    Video Short: IRI’s Madeleine Thomson discusses the short- and long-term health risks of the East Africa famine

  • Asia’s Motown Meets Waterworld–The Global Water Supply Chain Crisis

    Asia’s Motown Meets Waterworld–The Global Water Supply Chain Crisis

    Since July, an almost unceasing torrent of rain has soaked Thailand, flooding farms, roads, factories, and finally Bangkok itself, a city of some 12 million people; so far at least 500 people have died. To date the government has ordered evacuations of 12 of the city’s 50 districts, even as water continues to creep through…

  • Monitoring Antarctica’s Changing Glaciers – No Longer Like ‘Watching Paint Dry’

    Monitoring Antarctica’s Changing Glaciers – No Longer Like ‘Watching Paint Dry’

    By Kirsty Tinto & Mike Wolovick As little as a few decades ago you could ask a scientist what it was like to monitor the changing ice in Antarctica and the response might have been “Like watching paint dry” — seemingly no change, with no big surprises and not too exciting. Well times have changed.…

  • Now is the Time for Climate Services

    Now is the Time for Climate Services

    Last week, IRI organized a conference that brought together nearly 100 individuals from 30 countries to discuss the state and future of international climate services. What was discussed and what were the outcomes?

  • Unsettled by Climate Change

    Unsettled by Climate Change

    Climate change already laps at the edges of some communities, disrupting local economies and habitat, and forcing resettlement. But a new study notes that any efforts to offset the effects of shifting climate could lead to even more displacement and disruption for many people, particularly the poor.

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

  • New York State May Soon Suffer Outsize Effects from Climate, Says Report

    From Farms to Subways, Many Sectors Could Be Affected

  • PhD. Ode to a Tree

    PhD. Ode to a Tree

    “I was deeply saddened by the loss of one of our most beautiful trees on campus during the last storm. It had perfect symmetry and such a beautiful color display late in the fall,” wrote geochemist Martin Stute, after a highly unusual heavy October snow felled a 22-year-old Bradford pear at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where he…

  • Winter Extremes: So Last Year?

    Winter Extremes: So Last Year?

    What are the odds that this winter will be as snowy as the last two? Climate scientist Jason Smerdon and tree-ring scientist Rosanne D’Arrigo are working on an answer, looking at the long-term history of two important weather patterns—the North Atlantic Oscillation and La Niña state in the tropical Pacific—that similar to last year could…

  • Trees on Tundra’s Border Are Growing Faster in a Hotter Climate

    Measuring Techniques Improve—But Implications Are Not Certain

  • Health Risks From Famine Likely to Persist

    Health Risks From Famine Likely to Persist

    Video Short: IRI’s Madeleine Thomson discusses the short- and long-term health risks of the East Africa famine

  • Asia’s Motown Meets Waterworld–The Global Water Supply Chain Crisis

    Asia’s Motown Meets Waterworld–The Global Water Supply Chain Crisis

    Since July, an almost unceasing torrent of rain has soaked Thailand, flooding farms, roads, factories, and finally Bangkok itself, a city of some 12 million people; so far at least 500 people have died. To date the government has ordered evacuations of 12 of the city’s 50 districts, even as water continues to creep through…

  • Monitoring Antarctica’s Changing Glaciers – No Longer Like ‘Watching Paint Dry’

    Monitoring Antarctica’s Changing Glaciers – No Longer Like ‘Watching Paint Dry’

    By Kirsty Tinto & Mike Wolovick As little as a few decades ago you could ask a scientist what it was like to monitor the changing ice in Antarctica and the response might have been “Like watching paint dry” — seemingly no change, with no big surprises and not too exciting. Well times have changed.…

  • Now is the Time for Climate Services

    Now is the Time for Climate Services

    Last week, IRI organized a conference that brought together nearly 100 individuals from 30 countries to discuss the state and future of international climate services. What was discussed and what were the outcomes?

  • Unsettled by Climate Change

    Unsettled by Climate Change

    Climate change already laps at the edges of some communities, disrupting local economies and habitat, and forcing resettlement. But a new study notes that any efforts to offset the effects of shifting climate could lead to even more displacement and disruption for many people, particularly the poor.