State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate311

  • Alaskans Feel the Heat of Global Warming

    New Study Reveals Alaskans View Global Warming as Serious Threat

  • New Study Finds World Temperatures Approaching Ancient Levels

    A new study led by James Hansen of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, a part of The Earth Institute, finds that the world’s temperature is reaching a level that has not been seen in thousands of years. The study was published in the September 26, 2006 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy…

  • Columbia Student Advises Community on How to Cut Greenhouse Gases

    by Jessie Stensland Global warming is a hot issue these days. Former Vice President Al Gore is getting rave reviews for his movie about climate change. President George Bush finally admitted last year that human activity “may” be causing global warming. While the federal government has been resistant toward taking substantial steps to curb the…

  • Cosmic Dust in Ice Cores Sheds Light on Earth’s Past Climate

    Each year nearly 40,000 tons of cosmic dust fall to Earth from outer space. Now, the first successful chronological study of extraterrestrial dust in Antarctic ice has shown that this amount has remained largely constant over the past 30,000 years, a finding that could help refine efforts to understand the timing and effects of changes…

  • It’s 2025. Where Do Most People Live?

    Researchers at the Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR), a part of The Earth Institute, have developed a high-resolution map of projected population change for the year 2025. The innovative map shows a world with large areas of population loss in parts of Eastern Europe and Asia, but significant gains elsewhere. The work, Mapping the…

  • The Earth Institute and the University of Iceland Sign Agreement to Promote Research Cooperation and Academic Exchange

    The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the University of Iceland signed an agreement on June 13, 2006 endorsing increased academic exchange, scholarly collaboration and research between the two institutions. The agreement sets the stage for future cooperation on global climate change, sustainable development and technological responses to climate change. The Memorandum of Understanding was…

  • Researchers Assess Risks Associated with Living in Low-Lying Coastal Areas

    For many, sea-level rise is a remote and distant threat faced by people like the residents of the Tuvalu Islands in the South Pacific, where the highest point of land is only 5 meters (15 feet) above sea level and tidal floods occasionally cover their crops in seawater. Now, however, a recently published study by…

  • Tough Environmental Policy Question? Bring in the MPAs

    One hundred million personal computers were disposed of in 2004, and they are not benign — computers contain hazardous materials harmful to human health and the environment, and no policy exists to manage this e-waste. Is anyone working on this problem? Bring in the MPAs. This semester, a group studying to get their Masters’ in…

  • Could Reducing Global Dimming Mean a Hotter, Dryer World?

    Despite concerns over global warming, scientists have discovered something that may have actually limited the impact of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in recent years by reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the Earth. In research they published last year in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, a team led by Beate Liepert…

Blue banner with kids and Earth photos. Text: "Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House, Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10am-4pm.

On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!

  • Alaskans Feel the Heat of Global Warming

    New Study Reveals Alaskans View Global Warming as Serious Threat

  • New Study Finds World Temperatures Approaching Ancient Levels

    A new study led by James Hansen of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, a part of The Earth Institute, finds that the world’s temperature is reaching a level that has not been seen in thousands of years. The study was published in the September 26, 2006 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy…

  • Columbia Student Advises Community on How to Cut Greenhouse Gases

    by Jessie Stensland Global warming is a hot issue these days. Former Vice President Al Gore is getting rave reviews for his movie about climate change. President George Bush finally admitted last year that human activity “may” be causing global warming. While the federal government has been resistant toward taking substantial steps to curb the…

  • Cosmic Dust in Ice Cores Sheds Light on Earth’s Past Climate

    Each year nearly 40,000 tons of cosmic dust fall to Earth from outer space. Now, the first successful chronological study of extraterrestrial dust in Antarctic ice has shown that this amount has remained largely constant over the past 30,000 years, a finding that could help refine efforts to understand the timing and effects of changes…

  • It’s 2025. Where Do Most People Live?

    Researchers at the Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR), a part of The Earth Institute, have developed a high-resolution map of projected population change for the year 2025. The innovative map shows a world with large areas of population loss in parts of Eastern Europe and Asia, but significant gains elsewhere. The work, Mapping the…

  • The Earth Institute and the University of Iceland Sign Agreement to Promote Research Cooperation and Academic Exchange

    The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the University of Iceland signed an agreement on June 13, 2006 endorsing increased academic exchange, scholarly collaboration and research between the two institutions. The agreement sets the stage for future cooperation on global climate change, sustainable development and technological responses to climate change. The Memorandum of Understanding was…

  • Researchers Assess Risks Associated with Living in Low-Lying Coastal Areas

    For many, sea-level rise is a remote and distant threat faced by people like the residents of the Tuvalu Islands in the South Pacific, where the highest point of land is only 5 meters (15 feet) above sea level and tidal floods occasionally cover their crops in seawater. Now, however, a recently published study by…

  • Tough Environmental Policy Question? Bring in the MPAs

    One hundred million personal computers were disposed of in 2004, and they are not benign — computers contain hazardous materials harmful to human health and the environment, and no policy exists to manage this e-waste. Is anyone working on this problem? Bring in the MPAs. This semester, a group studying to get their Masters’ in…

  • Could Reducing Global Dimming Mean a Hotter, Dryer World?

    Despite concerns over global warming, scientists have discovered something that may have actually limited the impact of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in recent years by reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the Earth. In research they published last year in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, a team led by Beate Liepert…