State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Energy28

  • The Tools to Build a Green Economy

    The Tools to Build a Green Economy

    What role does public policy play in encouraging and facilitating the green economy? What are the policy tools and incentives that steer green investment effectively?

  • The Technological World and the Risk of Nuclear Power

    The modern economy and our way of life depend on new and advancing technology. It especially depends on energy technology.

  • Questioning Carbon Capture and Storage

    Questioning Carbon Capture and Storage

    With billions of dollars around the world being invested into carbon capture and storage, often in the energy sector, there are compelling questions to ask about when, where and for what purpose we use this technology.

  • Slowly Moving to Protect the Environment

    In some cases we do not understand the impact of human actions on the planet and we need to do more observation and analysis to understand those impacts. In other cases we don’t really know how to repair the damage once it has been done.

  • What Five Tech Companies Are Doing About Climate Change

    What Five Tech Companies Are Doing About Climate Change

    Many experts agree that the climate pledges made at COP21 alone will not hold global temperatures below 2˚ C—we also need significant investment in energy technology innovation in order to meet the climate goals. What are the five big tech companies and their founders doing about climate change?

  • The Small Steps That Will Lead to a Low-Carbon Economy

    The renewable energy tax credit, now in place, has been dramatically successful in seeding the solar energy industry. Currently 30% of the cost of the new technology is provided as a tax credit.

  • The White House Pushes Clean Energy While Coal States Push the Past

    The fact that we are addicted to energy and still require fossil fuels should not be taken to mean that we couldn’t get off of fossil fuels while increasing energy efficiency. We can and we will. But no one is going to give up the current energy system until a cleaner one comes along that…

  • How Much Energy Does NYC Waste?

    How Much Energy Does NYC Waste?

    While the New York metropolitan area has been deemed the most wasteful megacity in the world, New York City is considered one of the world’s greenest. But how much energy does New York City waste and what is it doing about it?

  • The Environment and the 2016 Elections

    The environment holds the potential to emerge as a political issue in the 2016 presidential election in part because it has gone from being a non-partisan consensus issue to a deeply partisan ideological issue. The battleground will be for the heart and mind of the independent voter.

Earth Month Graphic Collage: "Our Power, Our Planet - April 2025"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • The Tools to Build a Green Economy

    The Tools to Build a Green Economy

    What role does public policy play in encouraging and facilitating the green economy? What are the policy tools and incentives that steer green investment effectively?

  • The Technological World and the Risk of Nuclear Power

    The modern economy and our way of life depend on new and advancing technology. It especially depends on energy technology.

  • Questioning Carbon Capture and Storage

    Questioning Carbon Capture and Storage

    With billions of dollars around the world being invested into carbon capture and storage, often in the energy sector, there are compelling questions to ask about when, where and for what purpose we use this technology.

  • Slowly Moving to Protect the Environment

    In some cases we do not understand the impact of human actions on the planet and we need to do more observation and analysis to understand those impacts. In other cases we don’t really know how to repair the damage once it has been done.

  • What Five Tech Companies Are Doing About Climate Change

    What Five Tech Companies Are Doing About Climate Change

    Many experts agree that the climate pledges made at COP21 alone will not hold global temperatures below 2˚ C—we also need significant investment in energy technology innovation in order to meet the climate goals. What are the five big tech companies and their founders doing about climate change?

  • The Small Steps That Will Lead to a Low-Carbon Economy

    The renewable energy tax credit, now in place, has been dramatically successful in seeding the solar energy industry. Currently 30% of the cost of the new technology is provided as a tax credit.

  • The White House Pushes Clean Energy While Coal States Push the Past

    The fact that we are addicted to energy and still require fossil fuels should not be taken to mean that we couldn’t get off of fossil fuels while increasing energy efficiency. We can and we will. But no one is going to give up the current energy system until a cleaner one comes along that…

  • How Much Energy Does NYC Waste?

    How Much Energy Does NYC Waste?

    While the New York metropolitan area has been deemed the most wasteful megacity in the world, New York City is considered one of the world’s greenest. But how much energy does New York City waste and what is it doing about it?

  • The Environment and the 2016 Elections

    The environment holds the potential to emerge as a political issue in the 2016 presidential election in part because it has gone from being a non-partisan consensus issue to a deeply partisan ideological issue. The battleground will be for the heart and mind of the independent voter.