State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate271

  • Who said what? Answering Ross McKitrick’s “Response to Misinformation from Deutsche Bank,” Part I

    Who said what? Answering Ross McKitrick’s “Response to Misinformation from Deutsche Bank,” Part I

    Authors: Mary-Elena Carr; Kate Brash; Robert Anderson; Madeleine Rubenstein On September 8, 2010, Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors (DBCCA) and the Columbia Climate Center (CCC) published a report responding to the major claims of climate change skeptics. The report, entitled “Climate Change: Addressing the Major Skeptic Arguments,” aims to examine the many claims and counter-claims…

  • A Year of Progress Toward a Sustainable Earth

    A Year of Progress Toward a Sustainable Earth

    The Earth Institute’s annual donor report is now available in an interactive digital format. We remain committed to finding extraordinary solutions to unprecedented world challenges, and this report highlights some of our innovative projects in research, policy and education, and the partnerships that are helping to support them.

  • Measuring the Ice From a Bird’s Eye View!

    Measuring the Ice From a Bird’s Eye View!

    Operation IceBridge Antarctica ramps up for a second year of ice surveys. Originating from Chile, a series of airborne missions will be flown almost daily from the airbase in Punta Arenas.

  • IRI Scientist Wins NSF CAREER Award

    IRI Scientist Wins NSF CAREER Award

    Alessandra Giannini, a research scientist at the IRI, has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER award to advance our understanding of uncertainty in climate model projections in the African Sahel and other semi-arid regions of the world.

  • Denmark’s New Mark: Fossil-free by 2050

    Denmark’s New Mark: Fossil-free by 2050

    Last Monday, October 11th, Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the Consulate General of Denmark co-hosted “The Climate Challenge: Revitalizing the Debate”. The daylong symposium included three panel sessions, in which experts from academia, the private sector, government and non-governmental organizations discussed the effects and implications of global climate change as well as steps –both taken…

  • Deutsche Bank and Earth Institute Debunk Climate Skeptics

    To address global warming skeptics, the Earth Institute’s Columbia Climate Center authored a report in partnership with Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors to examine many of the claims and counter-claims against climate change science. The report concludes that despite the noise generated by misinformation, a vast body of scientific research affirms that human-made climate change…

  • Eli Kintisch on Geoengineering and ‘Jumping the Shark’

    Eli Kintisch on Geoengineering and ‘Jumping the Shark’

    By Elizabeth Robinson As little as five years ago, geoengineering was fringe science. But now, with CO2 concentrations still rising in spite of our knowledge of the consequences, geoengineering is increasingly viewed as an option for coping with the possibility of catastrophic climate change. On Friday, September 24th, the Columbia Climate Center hosted an event…

  • Peruvians Fight for Their Right to Water

    Peruvians Fight for Their Right to Water

    On September 17, one man was killed and 18 others injured when police attempted to break up demonstrators protesting an irrigation project recently approved by the Peruvian government.

  • Climate News Roundup: Weeks of 9/20 and 9/27

    Climate News Roundup: Weeks of 9/20 and 9/27

    Deep in Ecuador’s rainforest, a plan to forego an oil bonanza, Yale 360 An ambitious plan to prevent drilling for oil in Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park would facilitate payments from the international community to the government of Ecuador. The park is rich in biodiversity, and is the home of several remote groups of indigenous peoples.…

Collage of Turkiye beach scene and Columbia University Campus with text: UN Climate Change Conference COP31, Antalya, Turkiye, Nov 9-20, 2026

COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • Who said what? Answering Ross McKitrick’s “Response to Misinformation from Deutsche Bank,” Part I

    Who said what? Answering Ross McKitrick’s “Response to Misinformation from Deutsche Bank,” Part I

    Authors: Mary-Elena Carr; Kate Brash; Robert Anderson; Madeleine Rubenstein On September 8, 2010, Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors (DBCCA) and the Columbia Climate Center (CCC) published a report responding to the major claims of climate change skeptics. The report, entitled “Climate Change: Addressing the Major Skeptic Arguments,” aims to examine the many claims and counter-claims…

  • A Year of Progress Toward a Sustainable Earth

    A Year of Progress Toward a Sustainable Earth

    The Earth Institute’s annual donor report is now available in an interactive digital format. We remain committed to finding extraordinary solutions to unprecedented world challenges, and this report highlights some of our innovative projects in research, policy and education, and the partnerships that are helping to support them.

  • Measuring the Ice From a Bird’s Eye View!

    Measuring the Ice From a Bird’s Eye View!

    Operation IceBridge Antarctica ramps up for a second year of ice surveys. Originating from Chile, a series of airborne missions will be flown almost daily from the airbase in Punta Arenas.

  • IRI Scientist Wins NSF CAREER Award

    IRI Scientist Wins NSF CAREER Award

    Alessandra Giannini, a research scientist at the IRI, has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER award to advance our understanding of uncertainty in climate model projections in the African Sahel and other semi-arid regions of the world.

  • Denmark’s New Mark: Fossil-free by 2050

    Denmark’s New Mark: Fossil-free by 2050

    Last Monday, October 11th, Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the Consulate General of Denmark co-hosted “The Climate Challenge: Revitalizing the Debate”. The daylong symposium included three panel sessions, in which experts from academia, the private sector, government and non-governmental organizations discussed the effects and implications of global climate change as well as steps –both taken…

  • Deutsche Bank and Earth Institute Debunk Climate Skeptics

    To address global warming skeptics, the Earth Institute’s Columbia Climate Center authored a report in partnership with Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors to examine many of the claims and counter-claims against climate change science. The report concludes that despite the noise generated by misinformation, a vast body of scientific research affirms that human-made climate change…

  • Eli Kintisch on Geoengineering and ‘Jumping the Shark’

    Eli Kintisch on Geoengineering and ‘Jumping the Shark’

    By Elizabeth Robinson As little as five years ago, geoengineering was fringe science. But now, with CO2 concentrations still rising in spite of our knowledge of the consequences, geoengineering is increasingly viewed as an option for coping with the possibility of catastrophic climate change. On Friday, September 24th, the Columbia Climate Center hosted an event…

  • Peruvians Fight for Their Right to Water

    Peruvians Fight for Their Right to Water

    On September 17, one man was killed and 18 others injured when police attempted to break up demonstrators protesting an irrigation project recently approved by the Peruvian government.

  • Climate News Roundup: Weeks of 9/20 and 9/27

    Climate News Roundup: Weeks of 9/20 and 9/27

    Deep in Ecuador’s rainforest, a plan to forego an oil bonanza, Yale 360 An ambitious plan to prevent drilling for oil in Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park would facilitate payments from the international community to the government of Ecuador. The park is rich in biodiversity, and is the home of several remote groups of indigenous peoples.…