State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate240

  • Drilling for Carbon-Storing Rocks in Suburban New York

    Drilling for Carbon-Storing Rocks in Suburban New York

    Under the shopping malls and highways of suburbia, there might one day be a partial fix for global warming. Since August, engineers have been drilling just west of the Tappan Zee Bridge to collect samples of rock from the Newark Basin, an ancient rock formation stretching beneath New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As they…

  • Western Water Woes – Is Big Infrastructure the Way to Go?

    Western Water Woes – Is Big Infrastructure the Way to Go?

    Guest Blog by Michael Clark Pat Mulroy, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, spoke on July 20 at a US Chamber of Commerce conference, as part of its Invest in Water Initiative, and proposed a bold idea: build a pipeline to divert Mississippi River flood waters to the West. This, she said,…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/28

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/28

    Seeing Irene as Harbinger of Change in Climate, New York Times, Aug. 27 As the East Coast recovers from the impacts of Hurricane Irene, the storm has revived a debate on the impacts of human-induced climate change on the strength and frequency of hurricanes. While there is widespread consensus that a warmer world will lead…

  • Insuring Against Drought

    Insuring Against Drought

    Research economist Dan Osgood discusses index insurance and how it is helping some poor rural communities reduce hardships caused by drought in East Africa.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/21

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/21

    Standing Against Oil Sands – and Standing for the Climate, Time, Aug 22 Scores of people have been arrested in front of the White House in an ongoing protest urging President Obama to block construction of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring crude oil from western Canada’s tar sands developments to the United…

  • A Famine Foretold

    A Famine Foretold

    Climate and food security expert Jim Hansen lays out the root causes of food insecurity in East Africa.

  • Fears of a Double Dip…La Niña

    Fears of a Double Dip…La Niña

    You’d be forgiven for thinking its 2008 and not just because of the economic uncertainty. Is there a dreaded double dip La Niña in store, too?

  • Climate Cycles Are Driving Wars, Says Study

    When El Niño Warmth Hits, Tropical Conflicts Double

  • Remote Sensing Critical for Monitoring Drought

    Remote Sensing Critical for Monitoring Drought

    Remote sensing scientist Pietro Ceccato talks about how satellite information is being used to monitor conditions in East Africa.

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • Drilling for Carbon-Storing Rocks in Suburban New York

    Drilling for Carbon-Storing Rocks in Suburban New York

    Under the shopping malls and highways of suburbia, there might one day be a partial fix for global warming. Since August, engineers have been drilling just west of the Tappan Zee Bridge to collect samples of rock from the Newark Basin, an ancient rock formation stretching beneath New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As they…

  • Western Water Woes – Is Big Infrastructure the Way to Go?

    Western Water Woes – Is Big Infrastructure the Way to Go?

    Guest Blog by Michael Clark Pat Mulroy, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, spoke on July 20 at a US Chamber of Commerce conference, as part of its Invest in Water Initiative, and proposed a bold idea: build a pipeline to divert Mississippi River flood waters to the West. This, she said,…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/28

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/28

    Seeing Irene as Harbinger of Change in Climate, New York Times, Aug. 27 As the East Coast recovers from the impacts of Hurricane Irene, the storm has revived a debate on the impacts of human-induced climate change on the strength and frequency of hurricanes. While there is widespread consensus that a warmer world will lead…

  • Insuring Against Drought

    Insuring Against Drought

    Research economist Dan Osgood discusses index insurance and how it is helping some poor rural communities reduce hardships caused by drought in East Africa.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/21

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 8/21

    Standing Against Oil Sands – and Standing for the Climate, Time, Aug 22 Scores of people have been arrested in front of the White House in an ongoing protest urging President Obama to block construction of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring crude oil from western Canada’s tar sands developments to the United…

  • A Famine Foretold

    A Famine Foretold

    Climate and food security expert Jim Hansen lays out the root causes of food insecurity in East Africa.

  • Fears of a Double Dip…La Niña

    Fears of a Double Dip…La Niña

    You’d be forgiven for thinking its 2008 and not just because of the economic uncertainty. Is there a dreaded double dip La Niña in store, too?

  • Climate Cycles Are Driving Wars, Says Study

    When El Niño Warmth Hits, Tropical Conflicts Double

  • Remote Sensing Critical for Monitoring Drought

    Remote Sensing Critical for Monitoring Drought

    Remote sensing scientist Pietro Ceccato talks about how satellite information is being used to monitor conditions in East Africa.