State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General105

  • Resource Consumption — the Ultimate Bubble?

    Resource Consumption — the Ultimate Bubble?

    “Basically, the instinct of civilizations in the past has been to run off a cliff. This time it’s different. We have one global civilization, so we have to be very careful not to run off a cliff.”

  • Emerging Use Cases for Digital Soil Nutrient Maps of Ethiopia

    Emerging Use Cases for Digital Soil Nutrient Maps of Ethiopia

    By basing efforts to improve soil fertility directly on soil nutrient composition, the Ministry of Ethiopia will be able to identify key problems that are often overlooked, and to customize responses.

  • Sustainability Certification in Aquaculture: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is?

    Sustainability Certification in Aquaculture: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is?

    Should we certify aquaculture? A look at mounting challenges in the push for sustainable seafood.

  • ESP Alum Pursues Career in International Sustainable Development

    ESP Alum Pursues Career in International Sustainable Development

    Since graduating from the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA ESP) program in 2007, Carolina Jaramillo has forged a path in international sustainable development through the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and most recently, through the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). Currently, as a Green Growth Program Manager for…

  • Passion for Recycling Propels CC Graduate’s Career

    Passion for Recycling Propels CC Graduate’s Career

    “What I enjoy most about my job,” said Silverstein, “is the satisfaction I get out of knowing that my efforts to drive Amgen’s recycling program yield results that have a direct effect on our planet, by reducing the amount of material sent to landfills. The challenge is generating innovative ways to bring value to our…

  • MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    While a part-time student in the program, M.S. in Sustainability Management alum Lizzette Butkiewicz (’12), was working full-time at a boutique trade finance firm with the hope of merging her interest in sustainability with her background in finance. Now, as the Manager of Community Investments in the Corporate Sustainability team at HSBC, Lizzette is doing…

  • “Green Bling” and Other Sustainable Architecture Insights

    Students in the Undergraduate Program for Sustainable Development were joined by the Columbia community at large to hear Ilana Judah, Senior Associate and Director of Sustainability at FXFOWLE Architects, speak on sustainable architecture.

  • Change Lives and Change the World.

    Change Lives and Change the World.

    The Giving Day countdown has begun! Donate to the Earth Institute between now and midnight tonight to support your favorite programs and help win matching funding for our scientists, researchers and students.

  • What Comes After 2015? The Next Set of Goals

    What Comes After 2015? The Next Set of Goals

    “The gains in fighting poverty, and indeed generations of economic gains, are at serious threat of reversal unless deep structural crises of rising social inequality and rapid environmental degradation are finally addressed.”

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

  • Resource Consumption — the Ultimate Bubble?

    Resource Consumption — the Ultimate Bubble?

    “Basically, the instinct of civilizations in the past has been to run off a cliff. This time it’s different. We have one global civilization, so we have to be very careful not to run off a cliff.”

  • Emerging Use Cases for Digital Soil Nutrient Maps of Ethiopia

    Emerging Use Cases for Digital Soil Nutrient Maps of Ethiopia

    By basing efforts to improve soil fertility directly on soil nutrient composition, the Ministry of Ethiopia will be able to identify key problems that are often overlooked, and to customize responses.

  • Sustainability Certification in Aquaculture: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is?

    Sustainability Certification in Aquaculture: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is?

    Should we certify aquaculture? A look at mounting challenges in the push for sustainable seafood.

  • ESP Alum Pursues Career in International Sustainable Development

    ESP Alum Pursues Career in International Sustainable Development

    Since graduating from the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA ESP) program in 2007, Carolina Jaramillo has forged a path in international sustainable development through the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and most recently, through the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). Currently, as a Green Growth Program Manager for…

  • Passion for Recycling Propels CC Graduate’s Career

    Passion for Recycling Propels CC Graduate’s Career

    “What I enjoy most about my job,” said Silverstein, “is the satisfaction I get out of knowing that my efforts to drive Amgen’s recycling program yield results that have a direct effect on our planet, by reducing the amount of material sent to landfills. The challenge is generating innovative ways to bring value to our…

  • MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    While a part-time student in the program, M.S. in Sustainability Management alum Lizzette Butkiewicz (’12), was working full-time at a boutique trade finance firm with the hope of merging her interest in sustainability with her background in finance. Now, as the Manager of Community Investments in the Corporate Sustainability team at HSBC, Lizzette is doing…

  • “Green Bling” and Other Sustainable Architecture Insights

    Students in the Undergraduate Program for Sustainable Development were joined by the Columbia community at large to hear Ilana Judah, Senior Associate and Director of Sustainability at FXFOWLE Architects, speak on sustainable architecture.

  • Change Lives and Change the World.

    Change Lives and Change the World.

    The Giving Day countdown has begun! Donate to the Earth Institute between now and midnight tonight to support your favorite programs and help win matching funding for our scientists, researchers and students.

  • What Comes After 2015? The Next Set of Goals

    What Comes After 2015? The Next Set of Goals

    “The gains in fighting poverty, and indeed generations of economic gains, are at serious threat of reversal unless deep structural crises of rising social inequality and rapid environmental degradation are finally addressed.”