State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate250

  • Two Climate and Society Students Chosen as Finalists for Prestigious Presidential Management Fellowship

    Two Climate and Society students have been chosen as finalists for the prestigious Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF). The PMF program is administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and was established in 1977. The program brings graduate students from a wide variety of academic disciplines to the Federal service. Megan Fleming is a…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/03

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/03

    Glaciers in Chile ‘melt at fastest rate in 350 years,’ BBC, Apr. 3 According to new research by the Universities of Aberystwyth, Exeter, and Stockholm, mountain glaciers of the Patagonian icefield are melting and causing sea level rise at the fastest rate in the past 350 years.  Using remote-sensing technology, the scientists were able to…

  • A Flood at Home More Motivational Than a Flood of Information

    A Flood at Home More Motivational Than a Flood of Information

    Is it necessary for your house to be flooded for you to feel personally threatened by climate change? Maybe not – but according to a March behavior study, a soggy basement will probably make you more inclined to take action to mitigate climate change. Despite the consensus within the scientific community that immediate action is…

  • To Burn, or Not to Burn

    To Burn, or Not to Burn

    A new report by the World Resources Institute showcases IRI’s efforts to get decision makers in Indonesia to change their fire policy, so that it was based on seasonal climate information.

  • Some People’s Climate Beliefs Shift With Weather

    Study Shows Daily Malleability on a Long-Term Question

  • Maybe Ben Franklin Was Wrong

    Maybe Ben Franklin Was Wrong

    A new study says that for all of its ill effects, the Laki volcanic eruption of 1783-84 probably was not the main culprit behind one of the coldest winters in hundreds of years, as many scientists — and contemporary observer Benjamin Franklin — have speculated.

  • Insuring the World’s Poorest Farmers

    Insuring the World’s Poorest Farmers

    Index insurance could help small-scale farmers build wealth and cope with climate change, but more accurate weather and climate data is needed for index insurance to catch on, writes Daniel Osgood, a scientist at Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). In a new piece in Nature Geoscience, Osgood and colleagues outline…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/27

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/27

    Warming Brings Unwelcome Change to Alaska Villages, Anchorage Daily News, Mar. 27 The changing climate is leading to health concerns in some Alaskan villages. In the Chukchi Sea village of Kivalina, beavers have colonized the Wulik River, the main source of fresh water for the Inupiat Eskimo villagers. This is a concern as beaver feces…

  • Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development

    Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development

    The Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development will discuss how to mainstream climate change into economic and social development. It will introduce the main outcomes from the Conference of the Parties in Cancun (COP16) in terms of challenges and opportunities, within the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region and discuss the financing structure…

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

  • Two Climate and Society Students Chosen as Finalists for Prestigious Presidential Management Fellowship

    Two Climate and Society students have been chosen as finalists for the prestigious Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF). The PMF program is administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and was established in 1977. The program brings graduate students from a wide variety of academic disciplines to the Federal service. Megan Fleming is a…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/03

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/03

    Glaciers in Chile ‘melt at fastest rate in 350 years,’ BBC, Apr. 3 According to new research by the Universities of Aberystwyth, Exeter, and Stockholm, mountain glaciers of the Patagonian icefield are melting and causing sea level rise at the fastest rate in the past 350 years.  Using remote-sensing technology, the scientists were able to…

  • A Flood at Home More Motivational Than a Flood of Information

    A Flood at Home More Motivational Than a Flood of Information

    Is it necessary for your house to be flooded for you to feel personally threatened by climate change? Maybe not – but according to a March behavior study, a soggy basement will probably make you more inclined to take action to mitigate climate change. Despite the consensus within the scientific community that immediate action is…

  • To Burn, or Not to Burn

    To Burn, or Not to Burn

    A new report by the World Resources Institute showcases IRI’s efforts to get decision makers in Indonesia to change their fire policy, so that it was based on seasonal climate information.

  • Some People’s Climate Beliefs Shift With Weather

    Study Shows Daily Malleability on a Long-Term Question

  • Maybe Ben Franklin Was Wrong

    Maybe Ben Franklin Was Wrong

    A new study says that for all of its ill effects, the Laki volcanic eruption of 1783-84 probably was not the main culprit behind one of the coldest winters in hundreds of years, as many scientists — and contemporary observer Benjamin Franklin — have speculated.

  • Insuring the World’s Poorest Farmers

    Insuring the World’s Poorest Farmers

    Index insurance could help small-scale farmers build wealth and cope with climate change, but more accurate weather and climate data is needed for index insurance to catch on, writes Daniel Osgood, a scientist at Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). In a new piece in Nature Geoscience, Osgood and colleagues outline…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/27

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/27

    Warming Brings Unwelcome Change to Alaska Villages, Anchorage Daily News, Mar. 27 The changing climate is leading to health concerns in some Alaskan villages. In the Chukchi Sea village of Kivalina, beavers have colonized the Wulik River, the main source of fresh water for the Inupiat Eskimo villagers. This is a concern as beaver feces…

  • Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development

    Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development

    The Workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Development will discuss how to mainstream climate change into economic and social development. It will introduce the main outcomes from the Conference of the Parties in Cancun (COP16) in terms of challenges and opportunities, within the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region and discuss the financing structure…