State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Ecology41

  • Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Understanding the climate history of Mono Lake will help scientists understand the future impact of climate change. This is no esoteric question for Los Angeles, which depends in part on Mono Lake’s watershed for drinking water, green lawns, agriculture and industry.

  • The Rebuild by Design Challenge

    The Rebuild by Design Challenge

    When Hurricane Sandy hit last October, the vulnerabilities of the New York/New Jersey region to extreme weather were made all too clear. The Rebuild by Design challenge was launched to find the most innovative ways to make the region more resilient and sustainable.

  • Certificate Program in Conservation and Sustainability Spring Courses

    Certificate Program in Conservation and Sustainability Spring Courses

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

  • Fire on the Mountain, Fire in the ‘Burbs

    Fire on the Mountain, Fire in the ‘Burbs

    I walked out of the house Thursday morning when my nose detected it – a forest fire! Having worked for two years in the piney woods of southwest Georgia, I had become accustomed to and, actually, come to love forest fires. That classic line kept coming into my mind, “the scent of fire in the…

  • Losing Leaf Peepers: the Effect of Climate Change on Fall Color

    Losing Leaf Peepers: the Effect of Climate Change on Fall Color

    The spectacular colors of fall foliage draw throngs of tourists to the Eastern U.S. each year. However, new research from The Chinese Academy of Sciences suggests that climate change may shift the timing of this seasonal event to the detriment of travelers and locals alike.

  • When the Sahara Turned to Sand

    When the Sahara Turned to Sand

    The Sahara wasn’t always a desert. Trees and grasslands dominated the landscape from roughly 10,000 to 5,000 years ago. Then, abruptly, the climate changed. A study by Lamont-Doherty’s Peter deMenocal says it took just a few hundred years to happen.

  • CUriosity3: Intersection Between Arts and Sciences

    CUriosity3: Intersection Between Arts and Sciences

    Join instructors from our Executive Education Certificate Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability including Dr. Shahid Naeem, Dr. Matt Palmer, and Dr. Eric Sanderson. for a FREE public seminar program addressing the intersection between Arts and Science with the goal of initiating discussions and debate around the common ground of creative practice and scientific discovery.

  • Visit Ecosystems in Brazil, India, or Jordan This Summer

    Visit Ecosystems in Brazil, India, or Jordan This Summer

    Are you curious about environmental sustainability in a global context? Want to earn course credit while traveling the world this summer? Take advantage of The Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates program (SEE-U) offered through The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability! Through summer field courses in Brazil, India, or Jordan, you will have the unique…

  • Nature-Inspired Robots

    Nature-Inspired Robots

    Scientists at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland created a new breed of robots to advance their research in robotic movements. But the cheetah-cub robot is not the first animal to bound across laboratory floors. Scientists have produced a “mechanical menagerie” of robots that mimic four legged mammals, compact insects, and everything in…

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

  • Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Understanding the climate history of Mono Lake will help scientists understand the future impact of climate change. This is no esoteric question for Los Angeles, which depends in part on Mono Lake’s watershed for drinking water, green lawns, agriculture and industry.

  • The Rebuild by Design Challenge

    The Rebuild by Design Challenge

    When Hurricane Sandy hit last October, the vulnerabilities of the New York/New Jersey region to extreme weather were made all too clear. The Rebuild by Design challenge was launched to find the most innovative ways to make the region more resilient and sustainable.

  • Certificate Program in Conservation and Sustainability Spring Courses

    Certificate Program in Conservation and Sustainability Spring Courses

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

  • Fire on the Mountain, Fire in the ‘Burbs

    Fire on the Mountain, Fire in the ‘Burbs

    I walked out of the house Thursday morning when my nose detected it – a forest fire! Having worked for two years in the piney woods of southwest Georgia, I had become accustomed to and, actually, come to love forest fires. That classic line kept coming into my mind, “the scent of fire in the…

  • Losing Leaf Peepers: the Effect of Climate Change on Fall Color

    Losing Leaf Peepers: the Effect of Climate Change on Fall Color

    The spectacular colors of fall foliage draw throngs of tourists to the Eastern U.S. each year. However, new research from The Chinese Academy of Sciences suggests that climate change may shift the timing of this seasonal event to the detriment of travelers and locals alike.

  • When the Sahara Turned to Sand

    When the Sahara Turned to Sand

    The Sahara wasn’t always a desert. Trees and grasslands dominated the landscape from roughly 10,000 to 5,000 years ago. Then, abruptly, the climate changed. A study by Lamont-Doherty’s Peter deMenocal says it took just a few hundred years to happen.

  • CUriosity3: Intersection Between Arts and Sciences

    CUriosity3: Intersection Between Arts and Sciences

    Join instructors from our Executive Education Certificate Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability including Dr. Shahid Naeem, Dr. Matt Palmer, and Dr. Eric Sanderson. for a FREE public seminar program addressing the intersection between Arts and Science with the goal of initiating discussions and debate around the common ground of creative practice and scientific discovery.

  • Visit Ecosystems in Brazil, India, or Jordan This Summer

    Visit Ecosystems in Brazil, India, or Jordan This Summer

    Are you curious about environmental sustainability in a global context? Want to earn course credit while traveling the world this summer? Take advantage of The Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates program (SEE-U) offered through The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability! Through summer field courses in Brazil, India, or Jordan, you will have the unique…

  • Nature-Inspired Robots

    Nature-Inspired Robots

    Scientists at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland created a new breed of robots to advance their research in robotic movements. But the cheetah-cub robot is not the first animal to bound across laboratory floors. Scientists have produced a “mechanical menagerie” of robots that mimic four legged mammals, compact insects, and everything in…