State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Ecology63

  • Ecosystem Services and Corporate Planning

    Ecosystem Services and Corporate Planning

    Learn more about CERC’s new course, Ecosystem Services and Corporate Planning, which examines the impacts and dependencies of corporations on our ecosystems.

  • Extinction Exposed – The Giant Panda

    Extinction Exposed – The Giant Panda

    Captive breeding and species protection are helping the panda recover, but fewer than two thousand still remain.

  • The Male Seahorse – Supermom?

    The Male Seahorse – Supermom?

    The term, male-pregnancy, may seem to border on oxymoronic, but seahorses will prove to you otherwise.

  • Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time

    Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time

    Considered to be the father of wildlife management and conservation and a pioneer of the wilderness system, Aldo Leopold radically influenced the development of environmental ethics and sustainability.

  • Critter Corner: News Roundup on Biodiversity – Week of 9/12

    Critter Corner: News Roundup on Biodiversity – Week of 9/12

    Read more about the Iconic Nile Crocodile, Honeyguide Brood Parasitism, Vibrations of a Hummingbird, and Flying Snails in this week’s edition of The Critter Corner.

  • Executive Courses in Conservation, Sustainability

    Executive Courses in Conservation, Sustainability

    The Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University provides professionals with the knowledge and tools to be effective environmental leaders and decision makers in the 21st century. It is an evening program in which environmental issues are discussed, debated and examined, where participants develop an in-depth understanding of conservation science and practice through…

  • A Sea Change, Deep Under Antarctic Waters

    A Sea Change, Deep Under Antarctic Waters

    The frigid seabottom off Antarctica holds a surprising riot of life: colorful carpets of sponges, starfish, sea cucumbers and many other soft, bottom-dwelling animals, shown on images from robotic submarines. Now, it appears that many such communities could fast disappear, due to warming climate. Scientists sailing on an icebreaker last year have just published a study showing that gigantic…

  • Working to Save Blue Iguanas

    Working to Save Blue Iguanas

    Though the Grand Cayman blue iguana was once on the brink of extinction, health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society have made great strides in saving the endangered reptile.

  • Wondrous Wildlife of The Week – The Pebble Toad

    Wondrous Wildlife of The Week – The Pebble Toad

    Organisms in the natural world are constantly striving to avoid predation. Some prey depend on morphological characters to outsmart a worthy predator, utilizing camouflage or mimicry to avoid detection; others must engage in battle, relying on agility or strength. The Venezuela pebble toad, however, has an extremely peculiar defense mechanism: it rolls itself into the…

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • Ecosystem Services and Corporate Planning

    Ecosystem Services and Corporate Planning

    Learn more about CERC’s new course, Ecosystem Services and Corporate Planning, which examines the impacts and dependencies of corporations on our ecosystems.

  • Extinction Exposed – The Giant Panda

    Extinction Exposed – The Giant Panda

    Captive breeding and species protection are helping the panda recover, but fewer than two thousand still remain.

  • The Male Seahorse – Supermom?

    The Male Seahorse – Supermom?

    The term, male-pregnancy, may seem to border on oxymoronic, but seahorses will prove to you otherwise.

  • Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time

    Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time

    Considered to be the father of wildlife management and conservation and a pioneer of the wilderness system, Aldo Leopold radically influenced the development of environmental ethics and sustainability.

  • Critter Corner: News Roundup on Biodiversity – Week of 9/12

    Critter Corner: News Roundup on Biodiversity – Week of 9/12

    Read more about the Iconic Nile Crocodile, Honeyguide Brood Parasitism, Vibrations of a Hummingbird, and Flying Snails in this week’s edition of The Critter Corner.

  • Executive Courses in Conservation, Sustainability

    Executive Courses in Conservation, Sustainability

    The Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University provides professionals with the knowledge and tools to be effective environmental leaders and decision makers in the 21st century. It is an evening program in which environmental issues are discussed, debated and examined, where participants develop an in-depth understanding of conservation science and practice through…

  • A Sea Change, Deep Under Antarctic Waters

    A Sea Change, Deep Under Antarctic Waters

    The frigid seabottom off Antarctica holds a surprising riot of life: colorful carpets of sponges, starfish, sea cucumbers and many other soft, bottom-dwelling animals, shown on images from robotic submarines. Now, it appears that many such communities could fast disappear, due to warming climate. Scientists sailing on an icebreaker last year have just published a study showing that gigantic…

  • Working to Save Blue Iguanas

    Working to Save Blue Iguanas

    Though the Grand Cayman blue iguana was once on the brink of extinction, health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society have made great strides in saving the endangered reptile.

  • Wondrous Wildlife of The Week – The Pebble Toad

    Wondrous Wildlife of The Week – The Pebble Toad

    Organisms in the natural world are constantly striving to avoid predation. Some prey depend on morphological characters to outsmart a worthy predator, utilizing camouflage or mimicry to avoid detection; others must engage in battle, relying on agility or strength. The Venezuela pebble toad, however, has an extremely peculiar defense mechanism: it rolls itself into the…