State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Ecology37

  • What Everyone Should Know About Climate Change

    What Everyone Should Know About Climate Change

    Climate scientist William D’Andrea of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory asked young scientists attending a symposium last October, “What do you wish everyone knew about climate change?” He turned the responses into this video, which covers the topic pretty well.

  • Is the Highest Climb Sustainable, and Who Pays the Price?

    Is the Highest Climb Sustainable, and Who Pays the Price?

    The Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest is perhaps the most well-known and notoriously dangerous glacial feature on the planet. In a fresh post on the Glacier Hub blog, the Earth Institute’s Ben Orlove, writing with anthropologist Pasang Yangjee Sherpa of Penn State, recounts a recent workshop held in Kathmandu to address the issues raised by…

  • ‘The Big Ratchet’

    ‘The Big Ratchet’

    In her new book, Ruth DeFries argues that we have continually created new technologies that allow our numbers to grow. But each new invention creates a new problem—which we solve with yet another innovation that creates the next problem. Will we be able to sustain this so-far successful cycle past the great leap in technology…

  • Like Weeds of the Sea, ‘Brown Tide’ Algae Exploit Nutrient-Rich Coastlines

    Close-Up Look at Genome May Lead to New Ways to Combat Harmful Blooms

  • A Business Case for Restoring and Protecting Ecosystems

    A Business Case for Restoring and Protecting Ecosystems

    Jeffery Potent writes about how corporations are thinking about their impact on ecosystems in terms of economic quantification in order to achieve more sustainable practices. His upcoming EICES certificate course will also explore how leading corporations are innovating to address environmental and social issues from a business perspective.

  • Fall Courses in Sustainability & Conservation

    Fall Courses in Sustainability & Conservation

    The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University invites you to enroll in courses this Fall via our Certificate Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

  • Webinar Sept. 8 on Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

    Webinar Sept. 8 on Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

    Researcher Magdalena A K Muir will present a live webinar, “The UN Sustainable Development Goals: Setting an Agenda for Sustainability,” as part of the Association for Environmental Studies and Educators Webinar Series.

  • Studies Find Climate Change to Disrupt Antarctic and Tropical Ecosystems

    Studies Find Climate Change to Disrupt Antarctic and Tropical Ecosystems

    A recent study finds that West Antarctica’s ecosystem is highly correlated to its climate. As a result, climate change will have a negative impact on its ecological relationships, from plankton to penguins. Antarctica isn’t alone – climate change will also affect tropical ocean ecosystems by causing mass coral bleaching.

  • Deep Sea Plough

    Deep Sea Plough

    Giant fleets the oceans trawl, Gasping fish they skywards haul. Not just critters do they move, But sediments they push and groove …

Overhead view of Columbia campus with text Columbia Climate School Class Day 2026: Congratulations Graduates

Congratulations to our Columbia Climate School Class of 2026 and all of our 2026 Columbia University graduates! Learn more about our May 15 Climate School Class Day celebration. 💙 #Columbia2026 #ColumbiaClimate2026

  • What Everyone Should Know About Climate Change

    What Everyone Should Know About Climate Change

    Climate scientist William D’Andrea of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory asked young scientists attending a symposium last October, “What do you wish everyone knew about climate change?” He turned the responses into this video, which covers the topic pretty well.

  • Is the Highest Climb Sustainable, and Who Pays the Price?

    Is the Highest Climb Sustainable, and Who Pays the Price?

    The Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest is perhaps the most well-known and notoriously dangerous glacial feature on the planet. In a fresh post on the Glacier Hub blog, the Earth Institute’s Ben Orlove, writing with anthropologist Pasang Yangjee Sherpa of Penn State, recounts a recent workshop held in Kathmandu to address the issues raised by…

  • ‘The Big Ratchet’

    ‘The Big Ratchet’

    In her new book, Ruth DeFries argues that we have continually created new technologies that allow our numbers to grow. But each new invention creates a new problem—which we solve with yet another innovation that creates the next problem. Will we be able to sustain this so-far successful cycle past the great leap in technology…

  • Like Weeds of the Sea, ‘Brown Tide’ Algae Exploit Nutrient-Rich Coastlines

    Close-Up Look at Genome May Lead to New Ways to Combat Harmful Blooms

  • A Business Case for Restoring and Protecting Ecosystems

    A Business Case for Restoring and Protecting Ecosystems

    Jeffery Potent writes about how corporations are thinking about their impact on ecosystems in terms of economic quantification in order to achieve more sustainable practices. His upcoming EICES certificate course will also explore how leading corporations are innovating to address environmental and social issues from a business perspective.

  • Fall Courses in Sustainability & Conservation

    Fall Courses in Sustainability & Conservation

    The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University invites you to enroll in courses this Fall via our Certificate Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

  • Webinar Sept. 8 on Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

    Webinar Sept. 8 on Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

    Researcher Magdalena A K Muir will present a live webinar, “The UN Sustainable Development Goals: Setting an Agenda for Sustainability,” as part of the Association for Environmental Studies and Educators Webinar Series.

  • Studies Find Climate Change to Disrupt Antarctic and Tropical Ecosystems

    Studies Find Climate Change to Disrupt Antarctic and Tropical Ecosystems

    A recent study finds that West Antarctica’s ecosystem is highly correlated to its climate. As a result, climate change will have a negative impact on its ecological relationships, from plankton to penguins. Antarctica isn’t alone – climate change will also affect tropical ocean ecosystems by causing mass coral bleaching.

  • Deep Sea Plough

    Deep Sea Plough

    Giant fleets the oceans trawl, Gasping fish they skywards haul. Not just critters do they move, But sediments they push and groove …