State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Energy29

  • 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.

  • Where is Solar Power Headed?

    Where is Solar Power Headed?

    To have a shot at curbing the worst impacts of climate change, we need to extricate our society from fossil fuels and ramp up our use of renewable energy. Where does solar energy stand today, and where does it need to go in order for us to make the transition to renewable energy?

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

  • 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.

  • Where is Solar Power Headed?

    Where is Solar Power Headed?

    To have a shot at curbing the worst impacts of climate change, we need to extricate our society from fossil fuels and ramp up our use of renewable energy. Where does solar energy stand today, and where does it need to go in order for us to make the transition to renewable energy?