State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General119

  • Partnering to Expand Access to Water: PepsiCo and CWC Announce Achievement of Safe Water Goal

    Partnering to Expand Access to Water: PepsiCo and CWC Announce Achievement of Safe Water Goal

    Earth Institute partner PepsiCo has achieved its stated goal of partnering with organizations, including the Columbia Water Center, to provide access to safe water to three million people in developing countries by the end of 2015.

  • IRI to develop climate adaptation tools to help farmers in South and Southeast Asia

    IRI to develop climate adaptation tools to help farmers in South and Southeast Asia

    A new two-year climate change initiative, led by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society aims to help farmers in Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Bangladesh reduce their vulnerability to climate risks.

  • MPA Alum Leads Cleveland’s Local Sustainability Initiatives

    MPA Alum Leads Cleveland’s Local Sustainability Initiatives

    When MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) alum Matthew Gray (’05) joined the program, he was interested in pursuing a career in energy and climate change at the national and international level. After graduating, Matt went on to do just that – first, as a Presidential Management Fellowship recipient with the U.S. Department of…

  • Columbia University to Monitor NYC Waterways

    Dr. Wade McGillis of Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory is the Lead Principal Investigator on a new project entitled “NYC Sustainable Urban Water Quality: the Earthwatch Institute Freshwater Program”, set to take place through January 2017. Dr. McGillis and his staff will be working in partnership with the Earth Watch Institute to deliver this…

  • IRI Names New Deputy Director

    IRI Names New Deputy Director

    Haresh Bhojwani will coordinate IRI’s connections with development and humanitarian organizations so that its research can target the needs of those vulnerable to climate impacts, especially through the institution’s international collaborations.

  • MS Student Earns Recognition as Corporate Social Responsibility Leader

    MS Student Earns Recognition as Corporate Social Responsibility Leader

    Current M.S. in Sustainability Management (MSSM) student Pamela Alabaster joined the program after a corporate sustainability appointment at L’Oréal USA with the express purpose of honing her skills in the corporate social responsibility field. Through meaningful lectures and applicable project-based coursework, Pamela has acquired the practical knowledge and understanding in the field and has been…

  • The Art / Science Dating Game

    The Art / Science Dating Game

    On March 27 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, PositiveFeedback and the Met will host The Art and Science Dating Game: How Artists and Scientists Find Each Other…And What Happens Next? This event will feature a dialogue between three pairs of collaborators—scientists and artists focused on climate change—and is meant to inspire and motivate individuals…

  • Culture and national identity, a long-term investment in Haiti’s development

    Culture and national identity, a long-term investment in Haiti’s development

    The Haiti Research and Policy Program at the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development continued its Spring 2013 Dialogue Series with Kimberly Green, president of the Green Family Foundation. This discussion explored the importance of and areas where small foundations are supporting Haiti’s cultural vibrancy and innovation. In the post-earthquake period, most foundations and policy…

  • The Law of Drowning Nations

    The Law of Drowning Nations

    Sea levels are inching up year by year, and by various projections could be two to six feet higher by 2100—enough to make some small, low-lying island nations uninhabitable, or simply to wipe them off the map. What rights will citizens have to live elsewhere; in fact, will these entities actually still be nations, with…

Blue banner with kids and Earth photos. Text: "Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House, Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10am-4pm.

On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!

  • Partnering to Expand Access to Water: PepsiCo and CWC Announce Achievement of Safe Water Goal

    Partnering to Expand Access to Water: PepsiCo and CWC Announce Achievement of Safe Water Goal

    Earth Institute partner PepsiCo has achieved its stated goal of partnering with organizations, including the Columbia Water Center, to provide access to safe water to three million people in developing countries by the end of 2015.

  • IRI to develop climate adaptation tools to help farmers in South and Southeast Asia

    IRI to develop climate adaptation tools to help farmers in South and Southeast Asia

    A new two-year climate change initiative, led by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society aims to help farmers in Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Bangladesh reduce their vulnerability to climate risks.

  • MPA Alum Leads Cleveland’s Local Sustainability Initiatives

    MPA Alum Leads Cleveland’s Local Sustainability Initiatives

    When MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) alum Matthew Gray (’05) joined the program, he was interested in pursuing a career in energy and climate change at the national and international level. After graduating, Matt went on to do just that – first, as a Presidential Management Fellowship recipient with the U.S. Department of…

  • Columbia University to Monitor NYC Waterways

    Dr. Wade McGillis of Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory is the Lead Principal Investigator on a new project entitled “NYC Sustainable Urban Water Quality: the Earthwatch Institute Freshwater Program”, set to take place through January 2017. Dr. McGillis and his staff will be working in partnership with the Earth Watch Institute to deliver this…

  • IRI Names New Deputy Director

    IRI Names New Deputy Director

    Haresh Bhojwani will coordinate IRI’s connections with development and humanitarian organizations so that its research can target the needs of those vulnerable to climate impacts, especially through the institution’s international collaborations.

  • MS Student Earns Recognition as Corporate Social Responsibility Leader

    MS Student Earns Recognition as Corporate Social Responsibility Leader

    Current M.S. in Sustainability Management (MSSM) student Pamela Alabaster joined the program after a corporate sustainability appointment at L’Oréal USA with the express purpose of honing her skills in the corporate social responsibility field. Through meaningful lectures and applicable project-based coursework, Pamela has acquired the practical knowledge and understanding in the field and has been…

  • The Art / Science Dating Game

    The Art / Science Dating Game

    On March 27 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, PositiveFeedback and the Met will host The Art and Science Dating Game: How Artists and Scientists Find Each Other…And What Happens Next? This event will feature a dialogue between three pairs of collaborators—scientists and artists focused on climate change—and is meant to inspire and motivate individuals…

  • Culture and national identity, a long-term investment in Haiti’s development

    Culture and national identity, a long-term investment in Haiti’s development

    The Haiti Research and Policy Program at the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development continued its Spring 2013 Dialogue Series with Kimberly Green, president of the Green Family Foundation. This discussion explored the importance of and areas where small foundations are supporting Haiti’s cultural vibrancy and innovation. In the post-earthquake period, most foundations and policy…

  • The Law of Drowning Nations

    The Law of Drowning Nations

    Sea levels are inching up year by year, and by various projections could be two to six feet higher by 2100—enough to make some small, low-lying island nations uninhabitable, or simply to wipe them off the map. What rights will citizens have to live elsewhere; in fact, will these entities actually still be nations, with…