State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Energy41

  • Energy Efficiency: A Great (But Dull) Way to Save

    Energy Efficiency: A Great (But Dull) Way to Save

    Cutting energy use in a home or small business can save consumers plenty of money, so how come more private citizens aren’t doing it? Speakers at an Earth Institute-sponsored panel said in part it’s because the information people need is not accessible enough.

  • U.S., 5 Nations to Cut Methane, Soot Emissions

    U.S., 5 Nations to Cut Methane, Soot Emissions

    The United States and five other countries agreed this week to fund an effort to cut emissions of methane, soot and other pollutants to start to slow the rate of human-induced climate change.

  • Power Play: an Energy Map of New York City

    Power Play: an Energy Map of New York City

    A new interactive, color-coded map created by a team at Columbia’s engineering school allows viewers to pinpoint and compare estimated energy usage, building lot by building lot, throughout New York City.

  • Opening the Door to More Rooftop Farming?

    Opening the Door to More Rooftop Farming?

    The NYC Department of City Planning has proposed new zoning rules to make it easier to retrofit buildings for energy efficiency – including a provision on rooftop greenhouses.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/2

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/2

    NASA: Global warming caused mostly by humans USA Today, 1/31 The space agency published new calculations showing that the Earth absorbed more energy from the sun than it returned to space despite the low solar activity from 2005 to 2010. Availability of better measurements of ocean temperatures helped the research team improve their estimates of…

  • 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?

  • City of the Future, Today

    City of the Future, Today

    Masdar City is trying to pave the way for life without oil.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/17

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/17

    Rejecting Pipeline Proposal, Obama Blames Congress; Five Myths About the Keystone Pipeline; GM microbe breakthrough paves way for large-scale seaweed farming for biofuels; Clean Energy Investment Rises to $260 Billion, Boosted by Solar.

  • Giulio Verne and the Windmills

    Giulio Verne and the Windmills

    Like some Quixotic dream, at long last the formerly Dutch island of Manhattan reaches westward for windmills.

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • Energy Efficiency: A Great (But Dull) Way to Save

    Energy Efficiency: A Great (But Dull) Way to Save

    Cutting energy use in a home or small business can save consumers plenty of money, so how come more private citizens aren’t doing it? Speakers at an Earth Institute-sponsored panel said in part it’s because the information people need is not accessible enough.

  • U.S., 5 Nations to Cut Methane, Soot Emissions

    U.S., 5 Nations to Cut Methane, Soot Emissions

    The United States and five other countries agreed this week to fund an effort to cut emissions of methane, soot and other pollutants to start to slow the rate of human-induced climate change.

  • Power Play: an Energy Map of New York City

    Power Play: an Energy Map of New York City

    A new interactive, color-coded map created by a team at Columbia’s engineering school allows viewers to pinpoint and compare estimated energy usage, building lot by building lot, throughout New York City.

  • Opening the Door to More Rooftop Farming?

    Opening the Door to More Rooftop Farming?

    The NYC Department of City Planning has proposed new zoning rules to make it easier to retrofit buildings for energy efficiency – including a provision on rooftop greenhouses.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/2

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/2

    NASA: Global warming caused mostly by humans USA Today, 1/31 The space agency published new calculations showing that the Earth absorbed more energy from the sun than it returned to space despite the low solar activity from 2005 to 2010. Availability of better measurements of ocean temperatures helped the research team improve their estimates of…

  • 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?

  • City of the Future, Today

    City of the Future, Today

    Masdar City is trying to pave the way for life without oil.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/17

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/17

    Rejecting Pipeline Proposal, Obama Blames Congress; Five Myths About the Keystone Pipeline; GM microbe breakthrough paves way for large-scale seaweed farming for biofuels; Clean Energy Investment Rises to $260 Billion, Boosted by Solar.

  • Giulio Verne and the Windmills

    Giulio Verne and the Windmills

    Like some Quixotic dream, at long last the formerly Dutch island of Manhattan reaches westward for windmills.