State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate254

  • 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…

  • Earth Hour: Making it Count

    Earth Hour: Making it Count

    The past Saturday 26 of March, people in 131 countries switched off their lights for an hour at 8:30pm local time to celebrate Earth Hour as a way to express their concern about the planet. Major iconic buildings and landmarks went dark, including the Empire State Building in NYC, the Beijing National Stadium (The Bird’s Nest),…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/20

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/20

    USDA Funds Research on Crops and Climate Change, Businessweek, Mar. 21 The federal government is investing $60 million in three major studies on the effects of climate change on crops and forests. This adaptation strategy is meant to help farmers and foresters maintain their supply of food and timber, while experiencing shifting weather patterns. The…

  • Improving Climate Prediction in Africa

    Improving Climate Prediction in Africa

    Africa lags the developed world in weather stations but still produces a surprising amount of data. Too bad few people are using it. Scientists at Columbia University and a growing number of others—among them Bill Gates and the charity arm of Google—are pushing to open Africa’s climate archive to the world by making it free.…

  • Signals of Past Say Big Droughts Can Hit U.S. East

    Tree Rings Show Dry Periods Worse Than Any Historical Record

  • Climate Change to Exacerbate Rising Food Prices

    Climate Change to Exacerbate Rising Food Prices

    Despite all human provisions to maintain a steady and even increasing food supply, post-Green-Revolution agriculture remains heavily dependent on seasonal weather. Just in the past few years, weather extremes caused significant jumps in food prices, causing social, economic, and political disturbances in both developing and developed countries. Between 2006 and 2008, world average prices rose…

  • La Niña Subsiding, Atlantic Climate Phenomenon Forming

    La Niña Subsiding, Atlantic Climate Phenomenon Forming

    A return to near normal conditions in the Pacific doesn’t mean there aren’t other interesting climatic phenomenon afoot.

  • IceBridge Team Settles in the North

    IceBridge Team Settles in the North

    Operation IceBridge has returned to the Arctic for a second Greenland season collecting critical measurements of Arctic sea ice cover and thickness and Greenland’s coastal outlet glaciers. Traveling on a DC8 outfitted as a cargo plane with only 6 rows of seats, the team flew from Baltimore MD to Thule in northern Greenland. The workhorse…

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.

  • 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…

  • Earth Hour: Making it Count

    Earth Hour: Making it Count

    The past Saturday 26 of March, people in 131 countries switched off their lights for an hour at 8:30pm local time to celebrate Earth Hour as a way to express their concern about the planet. Major iconic buildings and landmarks went dark, including the Empire State Building in NYC, the Beijing National Stadium (The Bird’s Nest),…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/20

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/20

    USDA Funds Research on Crops and Climate Change, Businessweek, Mar. 21 The federal government is investing $60 million in three major studies on the effects of climate change on crops and forests. This adaptation strategy is meant to help farmers and foresters maintain their supply of food and timber, while experiencing shifting weather patterns. The…

  • Improving Climate Prediction in Africa

    Improving Climate Prediction in Africa

    Africa lags the developed world in weather stations but still produces a surprising amount of data. Too bad few people are using it. Scientists at Columbia University and a growing number of others—among them Bill Gates and the charity arm of Google—are pushing to open Africa’s climate archive to the world by making it free.…

  • Signals of Past Say Big Droughts Can Hit U.S. East

    Tree Rings Show Dry Periods Worse Than Any Historical Record

  • Climate Change to Exacerbate Rising Food Prices

    Climate Change to Exacerbate Rising Food Prices

    Despite all human provisions to maintain a steady and even increasing food supply, post-Green-Revolution agriculture remains heavily dependent on seasonal weather. Just in the past few years, weather extremes caused significant jumps in food prices, causing social, economic, and political disturbances in both developing and developed countries. Between 2006 and 2008, world average prices rose…

  • La Niña Subsiding, Atlantic Climate Phenomenon Forming

    La Niña Subsiding, Atlantic Climate Phenomenon Forming

    A return to near normal conditions in the Pacific doesn’t mean there aren’t other interesting climatic phenomenon afoot.

  • IceBridge Team Settles in the North

    IceBridge Team Settles in the North

    Operation IceBridge has returned to the Arctic for a second Greenland season collecting critical measurements of Arctic sea ice cover and thickness and Greenland’s coastal outlet glaciers. Traveling on a DC8 outfitted as a cargo plane with only 6 rows of seats, the team flew from Baltimore MD to Thule in northern Greenland. The workhorse…