State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Ecology56

  • Online Course – Sustainability and Investing

    Online Course – Sustainability and Investing

    We are excited to let you know that CERC is offering a piloted version of Sustainability and Investing online as part of our Executive Education Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

  • 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.

  • Online Course – Environmental Markets: Business, Regulation, Sustainability

    Online Course – Environmental Markets: Business, Regulation, Sustainability

    We are excited to let you know that CERC is offering a piloted version of Environmental Markets: The Nexus of Business, Regulation and Sustainability online as part of our Executive Education Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

  • Malaria and the Mason-Dixon

    Malaria and the Mason-Dixon

    When push came to shove, it was a microscopic virus that would draw the frontiers of a nation, and help to decide the life and livelihood of millions upon millions of the Americans who came to live there.

  • What Happens to All That Plastic?

    What Happens to All That Plastic?

    Americans discard about 33.6 million tons of plastic each year, but only 9.5 percent of it is recycled and 15 percent is combusted in waste-to-energy facilities. What happens to the rest of it?

  • The good ‘ol forest growth curve [update]

    The good ‘ol forest growth curve [update]

    While the New Jersey bill failed, it is going to be discussed in New Jersey’s Senate Environment Committee on Monday, January 30, 2012. The discussion is not yet over regarding New Jersey’s public forests. The discussion about ecosystem productivity over time also continues in the forum of the Native Tree Society. Specifically, this post was picked…

  • 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…

  • Eco-Markets: Business, Regulation, and Sustainability

    Eco-Markets: Business, Regulation, and Sustainability

    Interested in learning more about environmental markets and the nexus between business, regulation, and sustainability? How does an organization trade carbon credits?

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!

  • Online Course – Sustainability and Investing

    Online Course – Sustainability and Investing

    We are excited to let you know that CERC is offering a piloted version of Sustainability and Investing online as part of our Executive Education Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

  • 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.

  • Online Course – Environmental Markets: Business, Regulation, Sustainability

    Online Course – Environmental Markets: Business, Regulation, Sustainability

    We are excited to let you know that CERC is offering a piloted version of Environmental Markets: The Nexus of Business, Regulation and Sustainability online as part of our Executive Education Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

  • Malaria and the Mason-Dixon

    Malaria and the Mason-Dixon

    When push came to shove, it was a microscopic virus that would draw the frontiers of a nation, and help to decide the life and livelihood of millions upon millions of the Americans who came to live there.

  • What Happens to All That Plastic?

    What Happens to All That Plastic?

    Americans discard about 33.6 million tons of plastic each year, but only 9.5 percent of it is recycled and 15 percent is combusted in waste-to-energy facilities. What happens to the rest of it?

  • The good ‘ol forest growth curve [update]

    The good ‘ol forest growth curve [update]

    While the New Jersey bill failed, it is going to be discussed in New Jersey’s Senate Environment Committee on Monday, January 30, 2012. The discussion is not yet over regarding New Jersey’s public forests. The discussion about ecosystem productivity over time also continues in the forum of the Native Tree Society. Specifically, this post was picked…

  • 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…

  • Eco-Markets: Business, Regulation, and Sustainability

    Eco-Markets: Business, Regulation, and Sustainability

    Interested in learning more about environmental markets and the nexus between business, regulation, and sustainability? How does an organization trade carbon credits?