State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Education84

  • Students Assess City Greenhouse Gas Reduction Tools

    Students Assess City Greenhouse Gas Reduction Tools

    Students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program worked this past semester to analyze city-level strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Connecting the Dots with a Summer Placement in Lesotho

    Connecting the Dots with a Summer Placement in Lesotho

    The Masters of Public Administration in Development Practice “offered a program that allowed me to explore potential paths in a career of development by having the flexibility to connect the dots with my previous experience.”

  • Scaling-up Sustainability in NYC School Buildings

    Scaling-up Sustainability in NYC School Buildings

    Joe Chavez is the deputy director of optimization and energy manager for the New York City Department of Education’s Division of School Facilities. In a little over a year, he has managed to double enrollment and participation in the department’s Demand Response program.

  • In the Middle East, Discovering the Aspirations of Youth

    In the Middle East, Discovering the Aspirations of Youth

    “I was on the ground collecting data in Jordan, and worked with data collection teams in Syria and Palestine. Within Jordan this involved traveling across the country to speak with Syrian youth refugees, as well as Jordanian and Palestinian youth. I was deeply struck by how candid the respondents were.”

  • Summer 2016 Part-Time Internship Available

    Summer 2016 Part-Time Internship Available

    The Earth Institute seeks a part-time intern to support the Master of Science in Sustainability Management graduate program during the summer of 2016 from May 25 through Sept. 2, with the possibility of continuing into the fall semester.

  • Faculty Profile: John Mutter

    Faculty Profile: John Mutter

    John Mutter’s career path has an unusual twist to it.  He first trained in physics and mathematics as an undergraduate at Melbourne University in his hometown in Australia.  He moved to the U.S. to undertake a Ph.D. in geophysics at Columbia and stayed on as a research scientist at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in the…

  • Practical Solutions to Sustainability Issues: Undergraduate Capstone Projects

    Practical Solutions to Sustainability Issues: Undergraduate Capstone Projects

    On April 29, students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development presented practical solutions to sustainability issues and challenges faced by real world clients.

  • Open Dialogue and Sustainability Education

    Among the academics I find a mix of optimism and dire pessimism. It’s a recurring theme—can we build an economic life that can preserve the planet, or is it already too late? My responsibility is to ensure that our students hear both perspectives.

  • Taking Flight (Remotely) over East Africa

    Taking Flight (Remotely) over East Africa

    “Despite an early love affair with technology encouraged by my computer scientist, Silicon Valley-based parents, even I had a hard time envisioning a world in which I would spend a summer flying fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over pastoral East Africa.”

Collage of Turkiye beach scene and Columbia University Campus with text: UN Climate Change Conference COP31, Antalya, Turkiye, Nov 9-20, 2026

COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • Students Assess City Greenhouse Gas Reduction Tools

    Students Assess City Greenhouse Gas Reduction Tools

    Students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program worked this past semester to analyze city-level strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Connecting the Dots with a Summer Placement in Lesotho

    Connecting the Dots with a Summer Placement in Lesotho

    The Masters of Public Administration in Development Practice “offered a program that allowed me to explore potential paths in a career of development by having the flexibility to connect the dots with my previous experience.”

  • Scaling-up Sustainability in NYC School Buildings

    Scaling-up Sustainability in NYC School Buildings

    Joe Chavez is the deputy director of optimization and energy manager for the New York City Department of Education’s Division of School Facilities. In a little over a year, he has managed to double enrollment and participation in the department’s Demand Response program.

  • In the Middle East, Discovering the Aspirations of Youth

    In the Middle East, Discovering the Aspirations of Youth

    “I was on the ground collecting data in Jordan, and worked with data collection teams in Syria and Palestine. Within Jordan this involved traveling across the country to speak with Syrian youth refugees, as well as Jordanian and Palestinian youth. I was deeply struck by how candid the respondents were.”

  • Summer 2016 Part-Time Internship Available

    Summer 2016 Part-Time Internship Available

    The Earth Institute seeks a part-time intern to support the Master of Science in Sustainability Management graduate program during the summer of 2016 from May 25 through Sept. 2, with the possibility of continuing into the fall semester.

  • Faculty Profile: John Mutter

    Faculty Profile: John Mutter

    John Mutter’s career path has an unusual twist to it.  He first trained in physics and mathematics as an undergraduate at Melbourne University in his hometown in Australia.  He moved to the U.S. to undertake a Ph.D. in geophysics at Columbia and stayed on as a research scientist at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in the…

  • Practical Solutions to Sustainability Issues: Undergraduate Capstone Projects

    Practical Solutions to Sustainability Issues: Undergraduate Capstone Projects

    On April 29, students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development presented practical solutions to sustainability issues and challenges faced by real world clients.

  • Open Dialogue and Sustainability Education

    Among the academics I find a mix of optimism and dire pessimism. It’s a recurring theme—can we build an economic life that can preserve the planet, or is it already too late? My responsibility is to ensure that our students hear both perspectives.

  • Taking Flight (Remotely) over East Africa

    Taking Flight (Remotely) over East Africa

    “Despite an early love affair with technology encouraged by my computer scientist, Silicon Valley-based parents, even I had a hard time envisioning a world in which I would spend a summer flying fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over pastoral East Africa.”