State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Earth Sciences111

  • What Darwin Saw

    What Darwin Saw

    Sir Charles Darwin realized that humanity is interwoven with nature, that all of life is in a state of constant flux. The empowerment of nature, made possible by Darwin’s integration of human life into the whole, and grounded in his lived experience and profound humility, is the foundation of modern ecology.

  • Scientists Drill 2 Miles Down to Ancient Lake Vostok

    Scientists Drill 2 Miles Down to Ancient Lake Vostok

    Russian scientists this week finished penetrating more than two miles through the Antarctic ice sheet to Lake Vostok, a huge freshwater lake that has been buried under the ice for millions of years. But they won’t know what they’ve found until next year.

  • Biodiversity in the Shawangunk Mountains

    Biodiversity in the Shawangunk Mountains

    Recently ranked highest in biological diversity and as one of the “last great places on Earth”, the Shawangunk Mountains are being actively reintroduced to forest fires in an attempt to preserve biodiversity.

  • Seeking the Signal in the Noise of Environmental Performance Metrics

    Seeking the Signal in the Noise of Environmental Performance Metrics

    The 2012 Environmental Performance Index is a powerful tool for diagnosing trends not just across countries but over time, too. Consider what we can learn about overfishing, for example.

  • Ecological Succession: Forest Fires to the Ocean Floor

    Ecological Succession: Forest Fires to the Ocean Floor

    A new study reveals that new microbes supplant the active hydrothermal vent’s microbes after the site ceases to produce thermal energy. Though more research is necessary to fully understand the regeneration process in the dormant hydrothermal vents, the study provides an additional platform for ecologists to explore how ecosystems recover from natural unbalances and how…

  • Putting the ‘Death’ Back Into Death Valley?

    Popular Tourist Stop May Have More Potential to Explode Than Thought

  • Ohio Quakes Probably Triggered by Disposal Well, Say Seismologists

    Ohio Quakes Probably Triggered by Disposal Well, Say Seismologists

    Earthquakes that have shaken an area just outside Youngstown, Ohio, in the last nine months are likely linked to a disposal well for injecting wastewater used in the hydraulic fracturing process, say LDEO seismologists.

  • Finding the Right Graduate Program

    “It is important to be present, interested and passionate in a Master’s program.” Taking time off to travel and work helped Meg Sutton to realize that the M.A. Climate and Society program has what she was looking for in a graduate program.

  • Holidays on the High Seas

    Holidays on the High Seas

    With round-the-clock shifts, there are precious opportunities for Santa to slip onto a research ship unseen. But slip in he did, leaving treats and gifts around the R.V. Langseth to brighten our day.

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

  • What Darwin Saw

    What Darwin Saw

    Sir Charles Darwin realized that humanity is interwoven with nature, that all of life is in a state of constant flux. The empowerment of nature, made possible by Darwin’s integration of human life into the whole, and grounded in his lived experience and profound humility, is the foundation of modern ecology.

  • Scientists Drill 2 Miles Down to Ancient Lake Vostok

    Scientists Drill 2 Miles Down to Ancient Lake Vostok

    Russian scientists this week finished penetrating more than two miles through the Antarctic ice sheet to Lake Vostok, a huge freshwater lake that has been buried under the ice for millions of years. But they won’t know what they’ve found until next year.

  • Biodiversity in the Shawangunk Mountains

    Biodiversity in the Shawangunk Mountains

    Recently ranked highest in biological diversity and as one of the “last great places on Earth”, the Shawangunk Mountains are being actively reintroduced to forest fires in an attempt to preserve biodiversity.

  • Seeking the Signal in the Noise of Environmental Performance Metrics

    Seeking the Signal in the Noise of Environmental Performance Metrics

    The 2012 Environmental Performance Index is a powerful tool for diagnosing trends not just across countries but over time, too. Consider what we can learn about overfishing, for example.

  • Ecological Succession: Forest Fires to the Ocean Floor

    Ecological Succession: Forest Fires to the Ocean Floor

    A new study reveals that new microbes supplant the active hydrothermal vent’s microbes after the site ceases to produce thermal energy. Though more research is necessary to fully understand the regeneration process in the dormant hydrothermal vents, the study provides an additional platform for ecologists to explore how ecosystems recover from natural unbalances and how…

  • Putting the ‘Death’ Back Into Death Valley?

    Popular Tourist Stop May Have More Potential to Explode Than Thought

  • Ohio Quakes Probably Triggered by Disposal Well, Say Seismologists

    Ohio Quakes Probably Triggered by Disposal Well, Say Seismologists

    Earthquakes that have shaken an area just outside Youngstown, Ohio, in the last nine months are likely linked to a disposal well for injecting wastewater used in the hydraulic fracturing process, say LDEO seismologists.

  • Finding the Right Graduate Program

    “It is important to be present, interested and passionate in a Master’s program.” Taking time off to travel and work helped Meg Sutton to realize that the M.A. Climate and Society program has what she was looking for in a graduate program.

  • Holidays on the High Seas

    Holidays on the High Seas

    With round-the-clock shifts, there are precious opportunities for Santa to slip onto a research ship unseen. But slip in he did, leaving treats and gifts around the R.V. Langseth to brighten our day.