State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General146

  • Application Deadline Extended for the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Program

    Application Deadline Extended for the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Program

    The Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program has extended its application deadline to Thursday, November 15th due to the disruption caused by Hurricane Sandy. Our thoughts go out to everyone in the region, including members of our university community, who have experienced a severe impact on their homes and communities as…

  • Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    If you wanted to get a sense of the State of the Planet, you didn’t need to be at the Columbia University conference on Oct. 11. You just needed to follow #SOP2012. Six hundred people gathered at the event to think about the future of sustainable development, while 476 people sent 1,300 tweets, making about…

  • Sustainability Programs: Application Deadline Extension to November 15

    Sustainability Programs: Application Deadline Extension to November 15

    Due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy, we have decided to extend the application deadline for the M.S. Sustainability Management and Certification in Sustainability Analytics programs to Thursday, November 15.

  • A Recovery Mission

    A Recovery Mission

    Recovery Glacier is a section of Antarctic ice that lies east of the peninsular arm of West Antarctica, tucked behind the Transantarctic Mountains, a dividing line that separates west from east. We know from satellite data that Recovery and its tributaries have a deep reach, stretching well inland. But there is a lot we don’t…

  • Bharungamari – End of the Road

    Bharungamari – End of the Road

    For our final installation, we had to go from the edge of the Bay of Bengal almost to Bangladesh’s northern border with India, a trip of over 350 miles. Along the way we stopped at Humayun’s childhood home, had several flats and picked up a student of Humayun’s from the town where we installed it.…

  • ESP Student Aims to Make Sustainability Part of Everyday Life

    ESP Student Aims to Make Sustainability Part of Everyday Life

    Before he joined the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program, current student Tim Grose designed and built cloud computing platforms to help organizations working in education, public health, sustainability, and social justice. As a self-proclaimed “measurer, sorter, and organizer,” Tim hopes that his time in the ESP program will teach him how to…

  • Sustainable Solutions for the Brooklyn Navy Yard

    Sustainable Solutions for the Brooklyn Navy Yard

    On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 5-7, M.S. in Sustainability Management students in Professor Lynnette Widder’s SUMA K4162: Responsibility and Resilience in the Built Environment ventured across the East River to complete an interdisciplinary workshop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The workshop was organized by Professor Widder in collaboration with the Departments of Architecture of…

  • Hiron Point in Sundarban

    Hiron Point in Sundarban

    We traveled by boat to the south part of the Sundarbans near the Indian Ocean to install a GPS at Hiron Point, this isolated facility also hosts a tide gauge recording long-term water level changes due to rising sea level and land subsidence. Our GPS will help distinguish how much of each there is in…

  • Millennium City and Millennium Village Students ‘Stand Up for Girls’ on International Day of the Girl

    Millennium City and Millennium Village Students ‘Stand Up for Girls’ on International Day of the Girl

    In sub-Saharan Africa, only 63 percent of girls complete their schooling, according to the World Bank. Yet our own research in the Millennium Cities indicates that girls who continue their education will have far greater opportunities, and they will be in a better position to care for themselves and their families. To celebrate the United…

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

  • Application Deadline Extended for the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Program

    Application Deadline Extended for the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Program

    The Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program has extended its application deadline to Thursday, November 15th due to the disruption caused by Hurricane Sandy. Our thoughts go out to everyone in the region, including members of our university community, who have experienced a severe impact on their homes and communities as…

  • Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    Socially Speaking, the State of the Planet

    If you wanted to get a sense of the State of the Planet, you didn’t need to be at the Columbia University conference on Oct. 11. You just needed to follow #SOP2012. Six hundred people gathered at the event to think about the future of sustainable development, while 476 people sent 1,300 tweets, making about…

  • Sustainability Programs: Application Deadline Extension to November 15

    Sustainability Programs: Application Deadline Extension to November 15

    Due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy, we have decided to extend the application deadline for the M.S. Sustainability Management and Certification in Sustainability Analytics programs to Thursday, November 15.

  • A Recovery Mission

    A Recovery Mission

    Recovery Glacier is a section of Antarctic ice that lies east of the peninsular arm of West Antarctica, tucked behind the Transantarctic Mountains, a dividing line that separates west from east. We know from satellite data that Recovery and its tributaries have a deep reach, stretching well inland. But there is a lot we don’t…

  • Bharungamari – End of the Road

    Bharungamari – End of the Road

    For our final installation, we had to go from the edge of the Bay of Bengal almost to Bangladesh’s northern border with India, a trip of over 350 miles. Along the way we stopped at Humayun’s childhood home, had several flats and picked up a student of Humayun’s from the town where we installed it.…

  • ESP Student Aims to Make Sustainability Part of Everyday Life

    ESP Student Aims to Make Sustainability Part of Everyday Life

    Before he joined the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program, current student Tim Grose designed and built cloud computing platforms to help organizations working in education, public health, sustainability, and social justice. As a self-proclaimed “measurer, sorter, and organizer,” Tim hopes that his time in the ESP program will teach him how to…

  • Sustainable Solutions for the Brooklyn Navy Yard

    Sustainable Solutions for the Brooklyn Navy Yard

    On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 5-7, M.S. in Sustainability Management students in Professor Lynnette Widder’s SUMA K4162: Responsibility and Resilience in the Built Environment ventured across the East River to complete an interdisciplinary workshop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The workshop was organized by Professor Widder in collaboration with the Departments of Architecture of…

  • Hiron Point in Sundarban

    Hiron Point in Sundarban

    We traveled by boat to the south part of the Sundarbans near the Indian Ocean to install a GPS at Hiron Point, this isolated facility also hosts a tide gauge recording long-term water level changes due to rising sea level and land subsidence. Our GPS will help distinguish how much of each there is in…

  • Millennium City and Millennium Village Students ‘Stand Up for Girls’ on International Day of the Girl

    Millennium City and Millennium Village Students ‘Stand Up for Girls’ on International Day of the Girl

    In sub-Saharan Africa, only 63 percent of girls complete their schooling, according to the World Bank. Yet our own research in the Millennium Cities indicates that girls who continue their education will have far greater opportunities, and they will be in a better position to care for themselves and their families. To celebrate the United…