State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General142

  • Fresh Evidence of Life on Mars?

    Fresh Evidence of Life on Mars?

    In a landscape shaped by wind and water, is it possible that microbial life was found on Mars in 1976? A new paper indicates life may be present, and a new mission to Mars may confirm the results.

  • Unique Career Path: Utah Ski Slopes to NYC Sustainability Consulting and Columbia

    Unique Career Path: Utah Ski Slopes to NYC Sustainability Consulting and Columbia

    Josh Rosenfield has an ambitious and admirable career mission: “helping companies to generate healthy profits by meeting society’s needs and conserving nature.” He chose the MS in Sustainability Management program because it allowed him to study part-time and continue his work with Deloitte’s Global Sustainability and Climate Change Services team. “I believe that having a…

  • The ‘Glory’ in Clouds and Other Amazing Sights!

    The ‘Glory’ in Clouds and Other Amazing Sights!

    If you look carefully at the picture below you will see a small shadow of our plane completely encircled in a rainbow. This optical phenomenon, called a “glory,” can develop when the plane flies directly between the sun and a cloud below. Flying over the ice sheet in the far northeast of Greenland we saw…

  • Turning Concern into Action: 12 Ways to Combat Climate Change

    Turning Concern into Action: 12 Ways to Combat Climate Change

    With the incidence of extreme weather on the increase, concern about global warming is also growing. This concern needs to be turned into action—whether local, regional or national. Here are a dozen ways to take action.

  • Congratulations to the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy Class of 2012

    Congratulations to the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy Class of 2012

    Students from the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program commemorated their graduation from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) on May 17 at a pre-ceremony breakfast reception, followed by a commencement ceremony on campus.

  • The Evolution of The Moral Brain

    The Evolution of The Moral Brain

    Drawing upon the narrative of his new book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, Dr. Jonathan Haidt gave a lecture entitled “The Rationalist Delusion in Moral Psychology,” on April 24, 2012 to members of Teachers College at Columbia University. Dr. Haidt elaborates on his own research in moral and…

  • MSSM Student Goes the Extra Mile for Earth Institute Programs

    MSSM Student Goes the Extra Mile for Earth Institute Programs

    MSSM Student Scott Miller is nearing completion of his 300 mile ride from New York City to Washington, D.C. Find out how you can help support him.

  • The End of the Line

    The End of the Line

    The R/V Oscar Dyson pulled into Dutch Harbor, Alaska on May 9 after a hectic few final days! We are now starting to sift through the hundreds of samples and a hard-drive worth of data we shipped back, unpacking our eleven boxes of gear, and re-packing perhaps even more for an upcoming cruise off the…

  • Sustainable Development Program Awards Its First Departmental Honors

    The Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development is proud to announce that graduating seniors Tal Lee Anderman, GS ’12 and Erin Stahmer, CC ’12 have been selected to receive departmental honors.  Tal Lee and Erin are the first recipients of sustainable development departmental honors and were nominated for this distinction based on their outstanding grade point…

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

  • Fresh Evidence of Life on Mars?

    Fresh Evidence of Life on Mars?

    In a landscape shaped by wind and water, is it possible that microbial life was found on Mars in 1976? A new paper indicates life may be present, and a new mission to Mars may confirm the results.

  • Unique Career Path: Utah Ski Slopes to NYC Sustainability Consulting and Columbia

    Unique Career Path: Utah Ski Slopes to NYC Sustainability Consulting and Columbia

    Josh Rosenfield has an ambitious and admirable career mission: “helping companies to generate healthy profits by meeting society’s needs and conserving nature.” He chose the MS in Sustainability Management program because it allowed him to study part-time and continue his work with Deloitte’s Global Sustainability and Climate Change Services team. “I believe that having a…

  • The ‘Glory’ in Clouds and Other Amazing Sights!

    The ‘Glory’ in Clouds and Other Amazing Sights!

    If you look carefully at the picture below you will see a small shadow of our plane completely encircled in a rainbow. This optical phenomenon, called a “glory,” can develop when the plane flies directly between the sun and a cloud below. Flying over the ice sheet in the far northeast of Greenland we saw…

  • Turning Concern into Action: 12 Ways to Combat Climate Change

    Turning Concern into Action: 12 Ways to Combat Climate Change

    With the incidence of extreme weather on the increase, concern about global warming is also growing. This concern needs to be turned into action—whether local, regional or national. Here are a dozen ways to take action.

  • Congratulations to the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy Class of 2012

    Congratulations to the MPA in Environmental Science & Policy Class of 2012

    Students from the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program commemorated their graduation from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) on May 17 at a pre-ceremony breakfast reception, followed by a commencement ceremony on campus.

  • The Evolution of The Moral Brain

    The Evolution of The Moral Brain

    Drawing upon the narrative of his new book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, Dr. Jonathan Haidt gave a lecture entitled “The Rationalist Delusion in Moral Psychology,” on April 24, 2012 to members of Teachers College at Columbia University. Dr. Haidt elaborates on his own research in moral and…

  • MSSM Student Goes the Extra Mile for Earth Institute Programs

    MSSM Student Goes the Extra Mile for Earth Institute Programs

    MSSM Student Scott Miller is nearing completion of his 300 mile ride from New York City to Washington, D.C. Find out how you can help support him.

  • The End of the Line

    The End of the Line

    The R/V Oscar Dyson pulled into Dutch Harbor, Alaska on May 9 after a hectic few final days! We are now starting to sift through the hundreds of samples and a hard-drive worth of data we shipped back, unpacking our eleven boxes of gear, and re-packing perhaps even more for an upcoming cruise off the…

  • Sustainable Development Program Awards Its First Departmental Honors

    The Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development is proud to announce that graduating seniors Tal Lee Anderman, GS ’12 and Erin Stahmer, CC ’12 have been selected to receive departmental honors.  Tal Lee and Erin are the first recipients of sustainable development departmental honors and were nominated for this distinction based on their outstanding grade point…