State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate264

  • Jeffrey Sachs, Gavin Schmidt on Economy and Wild Summer Weather

    Jeffrey Sachs, Gavin Schmidt on Economy and Wild Summer Weather

    Jeffrey Sachs’ discusses what it will take to kick start the US economy and the possible links between climate change and this summer’s weather on CNN’s “GPS with Fareed Zakaria”.

  • Climate and the Border: Why Rising Temperatures Will Add Immigration Challenges

    Climate and the Border: Why Rising Temperatures Will Add Immigration Challenges

    When experts warn of the consequences of global climate change, they usually cite impacts on natural systems. They tell us that ice caps will melt, sea levels will rise, extreme weather will become more common, droughts will increase in frequency, oceans will become more acidic and so on. In recent years, we have also come…

  • Distributed Generation and Renewables in New York City

    As climate change threatens an increasing frequency of heat waves like the ones New York City has been experiencing, we city-dwellers turn to our air conditioners and window fans to keep cool.  It’s an act of adaptation: we adapt to the heat by cooling off our homes – but it counters mitigation, as increased electricity…

  • Beyond Carbon: How Fixing the Ozone Layer Contributes to Climate Change

    Beyond Carbon: How Fixing the Ozone Layer Contributes to Climate Change

    The greenhouse effect is not all about carbon dioxide. Several other substances, such as water vapor and methane, also play a key part in trapping radiation. Recently, a family of relatively obscure chemicals called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, has entered the spotlight due to its role in global warming. HFCs are highly potent greenhouse warmers –…

  • Think Globally, Act Locally: Climate Adaptation in Action

    Think Globally, Act Locally: Climate Adaptation in Action

    Across Indonesia, several effective climate adaptation actions on local levels are underway. These actions serve as a reminder of the important change that starts with a community of dedicated individuals.

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 8/2

    Last Week: Todd Stern says the US bargaining position for Cancun remains unchanged, climate change prolongs interior Alaska growing seasons, China reports improved energy efficiency this quarter, diplomats ponder temporarily extending the Kyoto Protocol, and the biggest ice island for 48 years breaks off of a Greenland Glacier.

  • Global Population Growth and Water Scarcity Q&A

    Global Population Growth and Water Scarcity Q&A

    Russell Sticklor with the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program in Washington, DC. recently contacted me requesting my thoughts on a number of issues for an article he is writing on global population growth and water scarcity for the magazine, Outdoor America. I thought some of the comments might be interesting to our blog…

  • Climate News Roundup — Week of 7/26

    In an effort to save fuel, money, and reduce carbon emissions, modern cargo ships are reducing their speeds from near 25 knots to as low as 12 or 13 knots, or about 14 mph. Super-slow steaming, as the practice is known, reduces the speed of cargo boats to less than that of 19th-century clipper ships.…

  • Climate Change and the PR Problem

    Climate Change and the PR Problem

    On Friday, July 9, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sent a letter to the individuals who will contribute to the group’s Fifth Assessment Report. Part of the memo instructed researchers how to interact with the media, largely in response to growing criticism of the IPCC’s process and reporting.…

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

  • Jeffrey Sachs, Gavin Schmidt on Economy and Wild Summer Weather

    Jeffrey Sachs, Gavin Schmidt on Economy and Wild Summer Weather

    Jeffrey Sachs’ discusses what it will take to kick start the US economy and the possible links between climate change and this summer’s weather on CNN’s “GPS with Fareed Zakaria”.

  • Climate and the Border: Why Rising Temperatures Will Add Immigration Challenges

    Climate and the Border: Why Rising Temperatures Will Add Immigration Challenges

    When experts warn of the consequences of global climate change, they usually cite impacts on natural systems. They tell us that ice caps will melt, sea levels will rise, extreme weather will become more common, droughts will increase in frequency, oceans will become more acidic and so on. In recent years, we have also come…

  • Distributed Generation and Renewables in New York City

    As climate change threatens an increasing frequency of heat waves like the ones New York City has been experiencing, we city-dwellers turn to our air conditioners and window fans to keep cool.  It’s an act of adaptation: we adapt to the heat by cooling off our homes – but it counters mitigation, as increased electricity…

  • Beyond Carbon: How Fixing the Ozone Layer Contributes to Climate Change

    Beyond Carbon: How Fixing the Ozone Layer Contributes to Climate Change

    The greenhouse effect is not all about carbon dioxide. Several other substances, such as water vapor and methane, also play a key part in trapping radiation. Recently, a family of relatively obscure chemicals called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, has entered the spotlight due to its role in global warming. HFCs are highly potent greenhouse warmers –…

  • Think Globally, Act Locally: Climate Adaptation in Action

    Think Globally, Act Locally: Climate Adaptation in Action

    Across Indonesia, several effective climate adaptation actions on local levels are underway. These actions serve as a reminder of the important change that starts with a community of dedicated individuals.

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 8/2

    Last Week: Todd Stern says the US bargaining position for Cancun remains unchanged, climate change prolongs interior Alaska growing seasons, China reports improved energy efficiency this quarter, diplomats ponder temporarily extending the Kyoto Protocol, and the biggest ice island for 48 years breaks off of a Greenland Glacier.

  • Global Population Growth and Water Scarcity Q&A

    Global Population Growth and Water Scarcity Q&A

    Russell Sticklor with the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program in Washington, DC. recently contacted me requesting my thoughts on a number of issues for an article he is writing on global population growth and water scarcity for the magazine, Outdoor America. I thought some of the comments might be interesting to our blog…

  • Climate News Roundup — Week of 7/26

    In an effort to save fuel, money, and reduce carbon emissions, modern cargo ships are reducing their speeds from near 25 knots to as low as 12 or 13 knots, or about 14 mph. Super-slow steaming, as the practice is known, reduces the speed of cargo boats to less than that of 19th-century clipper ships.…

  • Climate Change and the PR Problem

    Climate Change and the PR Problem

    On Friday, July 9, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sent a letter to the individuals who will contribute to the group’s Fifth Assessment Report. Part of the memo instructed researchers how to interact with the media, largely in response to growing criticism of the IPCC’s process and reporting.…