State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate257

  • 2010 Tied As Hottest Year, Say U.S. Researchers

    Two Separate Analyses Add Evidence of Long-Term Warming

  • Floods and Coal – The Water-Energy Nexus Redux

    Floods and Coal – The Water-Energy Nexus Redux

    Beyond the human toll, the floods in Australia have other repercussions, the most notable being the effect on the global coal market. According to Reuters, “Australia’s $50 billion coal export industry has been brought to a virtual standstill”.

  • Antarctic Impressions

    Antarctic Impressions

    Kathy Licht, an “old hat” of Antarctic field research and part of the Antarctica’s Secrets team, shares her impressions how it feels to be back on the ice.

  • A beautiful day in Antarctica

    A beautiful day in Antarctica

    Having picked up their extreme weather gear in New Zealand, our Antarctica’s Secrets team lands on Antarctica and settles in McMurdo station where they will be trained and prepared for their camping trip to the Transantarctic mountains.

  • Gearing up in New Zealand

    Gearing up in New Zealand

    After months of waiting, our Antarctica’s Secrets team leaves Los Angeles on a non stop 12 hour flight to New Zealand. Their first stop is Christchurch, New Zealand, where they pick up their extreme weather clothing for the trip to Antarctica.

  • At AGU, Earth Institute’s Columbia Water Center Adds to the Abundance of Scientific Riches

    At AGU, Earth Institute’s Columbia Water Center Adds to the Abundance of Scientific Riches

    The annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting is an all-you-can-eat buffet of the most current scientific knowledge available on the planet. Name your pleasure: space, climate change, geomagnetism, nonlinear geophysics, volcanology, biogeosciences, etc. You have to be careful to indulge in moderation over the five-day event, or risk unseemly bloating. The Columbia Water Center contributed…

  • As Dead Sea Dries, Drilling Shows It’s Not the First Time

    Scientists Delve Deep Into Bed of Historic Inland Sea

  • Antarctica’s Secrets

    Antarctica’s Secrets

    Understanding the historical context and dynamics of Antarctica’s massive ice sheets is critical for modeling future changes that have the potential to impact the globe, including significant contributions to sea level rise.

  • The Last Arctic Sea Ice Refuge

    The Last Arctic Sea Ice Refuge

    If climate change proceeds apace, summer sea ice in the Arctic is projected to nearly disappear by the end of this century. But a group of researchers predicts that ice will continue to collect in one small area, perhaps providing a last-ditch stand for ringed seals, polar bears and other creatures that cannot live without…

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

  • 2010 Tied As Hottest Year, Say U.S. Researchers

    Two Separate Analyses Add Evidence of Long-Term Warming

  • Floods and Coal – The Water-Energy Nexus Redux

    Floods and Coal – The Water-Energy Nexus Redux

    Beyond the human toll, the floods in Australia have other repercussions, the most notable being the effect on the global coal market. According to Reuters, “Australia’s $50 billion coal export industry has been brought to a virtual standstill”.

  • Antarctic Impressions

    Antarctic Impressions

    Kathy Licht, an “old hat” of Antarctic field research and part of the Antarctica’s Secrets team, shares her impressions how it feels to be back on the ice.

  • A beautiful day in Antarctica

    A beautiful day in Antarctica

    Having picked up their extreme weather gear in New Zealand, our Antarctica’s Secrets team lands on Antarctica and settles in McMurdo station where they will be trained and prepared for their camping trip to the Transantarctic mountains.

  • Gearing up in New Zealand

    Gearing up in New Zealand

    After months of waiting, our Antarctica’s Secrets team leaves Los Angeles on a non stop 12 hour flight to New Zealand. Their first stop is Christchurch, New Zealand, where they pick up their extreme weather clothing for the trip to Antarctica.

  • At AGU, Earth Institute’s Columbia Water Center Adds to the Abundance of Scientific Riches

    At AGU, Earth Institute’s Columbia Water Center Adds to the Abundance of Scientific Riches

    The annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting is an all-you-can-eat buffet of the most current scientific knowledge available on the planet. Name your pleasure: space, climate change, geomagnetism, nonlinear geophysics, volcanology, biogeosciences, etc. You have to be careful to indulge in moderation over the five-day event, or risk unseemly bloating. The Columbia Water Center contributed…

  • As Dead Sea Dries, Drilling Shows It’s Not the First Time

    Scientists Delve Deep Into Bed of Historic Inland Sea

  • Antarctica’s Secrets

    Antarctica’s Secrets

    Understanding the historical context and dynamics of Antarctica’s massive ice sheets is critical for modeling future changes that have the potential to impact the globe, including significant contributions to sea level rise.

  • The Last Arctic Sea Ice Refuge

    The Last Arctic Sea Ice Refuge

    If climate change proceeds apace, summer sea ice in the Arctic is projected to nearly disappear by the end of this century. But a group of researchers predicts that ice will continue to collect in one small area, perhaps providing a last-ditch stand for ringed seals, polar bears and other creatures that cannot live without…