State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General124

  • ESP Students Combine Classroom Learning with Outdoor Exploration

    ESP Students Combine Classroom Learning with Outdoor Exploration

    This summer, students from the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program have been able to get out of the classrooms and into nature, gaining exposure to many of the ecosystems in New York City and the organizations that work to protect them.

  • Faculty Profile: Phil LaRocco

    Faculty Profile: Phil LaRocco

    MS in Sustainability Management faculty member Phil LaRocco spent twenty years with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, ending his career there as the Director of World Trade and Economic Development. In 1990, he founded E+Co, a non-profit investor in over two hundred energy enterprises in over twenty developing countries, with offices…

  • On Gulf Coast, Organizing Youth to Face Disaster

    On Gulf Coast, Organizing Youth to Face Disaster

    A new youth development and disaster recovery program, which grew out of research on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will debut in five Gulf Coast high schools. The project will bring together teens to create and share resources to help communities recover from disasters.

  • Students Travel to Belize through Earth Institute Course Support Funding

    Fieldwork is an important component of environmental education and research. Every year, the Earth Institute’s Office of Academic and Research Programs provides funding to help underwrite faculty-organized field trieps that augment undergraduate and graduate classroom learning experiences. With assistance from the Earth Institute Course Support Program, 10 students with Dr. Josh Drew and Dr. Elisa…

  • What We Learned From Hurricane Sandy

    What We Learned From Hurricane Sandy

    Earth Institute experts weigh in as the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy approaches.

  • After Sandy: Climate and Our Coastal Future

    After Sandy: Climate and Our Coastal Future

    Shortly after Hurricane Sandy, Columbia University convened a forum featuring faculty researchers from The Earth Institute, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, NASA-Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the Mailman School of Public Health, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of International and Public Affairs. This university-wide conversation, co-sponsored by The Earth Institute,…

  • Seismology as Performance Art

    Seismology as Performance Art

    Ideally, seismic stations are sited in remote, quiet locations. But other considerations are important for a good station, particularly security. As a result, we placed most of our stations in towns near schools, hospitals or town halls, where people could keep an eye on them.

  • Surface Views of the Southern East Africa Rift Inspire a Look Underground

    Surface Views of the Southern East Africa Rift Inspire a Look Underground

    Driving around the Rungwe volcanic province in the southern East Africa Rift installing seismometers, we have the chance to observe first hand how geological processes in action create the most dramatic forms at Earth’s surface.

  • ESP Students Focus on Water Treatment Processes

    ESP Students Focus on Water Treatment Processes

    Students in the Masters of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program participated in a guided tour of Stamford, Connecticut’s waste water treatment plant as a part of their hydrology class led by Professor Michael Puma. The purpose of the trip was for students to experience firsthand how cites manage their waste water.

Collage of Turkiye beach scene and Columbia University Campus with text: UN Climate Change Conference COP31, Antalya, Turkiye, Nov 9-20, 2026

COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • ESP Students Combine Classroom Learning with Outdoor Exploration

    ESP Students Combine Classroom Learning with Outdoor Exploration

    This summer, students from the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program have been able to get out of the classrooms and into nature, gaining exposure to many of the ecosystems in New York City and the organizations that work to protect them.

  • Faculty Profile: Phil LaRocco

    Faculty Profile: Phil LaRocco

    MS in Sustainability Management faculty member Phil LaRocco spent twenty years with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, ending his career there as the Director of World Trade and Economic Development. In 1990, he founded E+Co, a non-profit investor in over two hundred energy enterprises in over twenty developing countries, with offices…

  • On Gulf Coast, Organizing Youth to Face Disaster

    On Gulf Coast, Organizing Youth to Face Disaster

    A new youth development and disaster recovery program, which grew out of research on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will debut in five Gulf Coast high schools. The project will bring together teens to create and share resources to help communities recover from disasters.

  • Students Travel to Belize through Earth Institute Course Support Funding

    Fieldwork is an important component of environmental education and research. Every year, the Earth Institute’s Office of Academic and Research Programs provides funding to help underwrite faculty-organized field trieps that augment undergraduate and graduate classroom learning experiences. With assistance from the Earth Institute Course Support Program, 10 students with Dr. Josh Drew and Dr. Elisa…

  • What We Learned From Hurricane Sandy

    What We Learned From Hurricane Sandy

    Earth Institute experts weigh in as the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy approaches.

  • After Sandy: Climate and Our Coastal Future

    After Sandy: Climate and Our Coastal Future

    Shortly after Hurricane Sandy, Columbia University convened a forum featuring faculty researchers from The Earth Institute, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, NASA-Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the Mailman School of Public Health, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of International and Public Affairs. This university-wide conversation, co-sponsored by The Earth Institute,…

  • Seismology as Performance Art

    Seismology as Performance Art

    Ideally, seismic stations are sited in remote, quiet locations. But other considerations are important for a good station, particularly security. As a result, we placed most of our stations in towns near schools, hospitals or town halls, where people could keep an eye on them.

  • Surface Views of the Southern East Africa Rift Inspire a Look Underground

    Surface Views of the Southern East Africa Rift Inspire a Look Underground

    Driving around the Rungwe volcanic province in the southern East Africa Rift installing seismometers, we have the chance to observe first hand how geological processes in action create the most dramatic forms at Earth’s surface.

  • ESP Students Focus on Water Treatment Processes

    ESP Students Focus on Water Treatment Processes

    Students in the Masters of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program participated in a guided tour of Stamford, Connecticut’s waste water treatment plant as a part of their hydrology class led by Professor Michael Puma. The purpose of the trip was for students to experience firsthand how cites manage their waste water.