State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General177

  • Columbia Climate Center Hosts Workshop on Carbon Management Education and Practice

    The Columbia Climate Center convened a workshop, “Carbon Management Education and Practice” at Columbia University on November 3-4, 2011. Over 30 participants from academia, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and government met to discuss the emergence and contours of carbon management as a new educational and professional field. Two days of panels and presentations provided…

  • UNFOLD: Climate Change Art & Science Dating Game

    UNFOLD: Climate Change Art & Science Dating Game

    What do climate research and art have in common? How do non-scientists interpret climate change issues?

  • Confessions from a Former Coniferphile

    Confessions from a Former Coniferphile

    The first time I felt truly fanatical about coniferous trees was while walking among the great eastern white pine trees in the Adirondack State Park as an undergraduate research assistant and student.

  • Addressing Gender Inequality Through Agriculture

    Addressing Gender Inequality Through Agriculture

    It has been well-documented that increasing women’s financial power is one of the most effective ways to develop a country (see: World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development). Mali is no exception, but due to laws that limit the amount of land women can hold, Malian women work mainly on small plots as horticulture…

  • Ethiopian Farmers Get First Payouts From New Crop Insurance Project

    Ethiopian Farmers Get First Payouts From New Crop Insurance Project

    An innovative crop insurance program that protects small African farmers against extreme weather made its first payouts last week, to growers in northern Ethiopia. The pilot “microinsurance” program gave a total of $17,392 to 1,800 farmers in seven villages, following a drought earlier this year.  The HARITA (Horn of Africa Risk Transfer for Adaptation) pilot was…

  • Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?

    Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?

    For millennia, people have set fires to clear land for cultivation, pastures or hunting; so-called slash-and-burn agriculture is still common across much of tropical Africa, Asia and South America. It has been a useful strategy–but …

  • Winter Extremes: So Last Year?

    Winter Extremes: So Last Year?

    What are the odds that this winter will be as snowy as the last two? Climate scientist Jason Smerdon and tree-ring scientist Rosanne D’Arrigo are working on an answer, looking at the long-term history of two important weather patterns—the North Atlantic Oscillation and La Niña state in the tropical Pacific—that similar to last year could…

  • The Center for Career Education Speaks with Students

    The Center for Career Education Speaks with Students

    Here are four questions to ask yourself if you’re a student about to start searching for a post-graduate job or internship: What do you like to do? How do you like to work? What sort of environment do you best work in? What things will you most value in a job? Financial security, prestige, helping…

  • Eni Brings New Energy to the Corporate Circle

    Eni Brings New Energy to the Corporate Circle

    In keeping with its corporate and social responsibility goals, Eni, an Italian energy company, recently renewed its Strategic Partnership with the Earth Institute’s Corporate Circle.

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

  • Columbia Climate Center Hosts Workshop on Carbon Management Education and Practice

    The Columbia Climate Center convened a workshop, “Carbon Management Education and Practice” at Columbia University on November 3-4, 2011. Over 30 participants from academia, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and government met to discuss the emergence and contours of carbon management as a new educational and professional field. Two days of panels and presentations provided…

  • UNFOLD: Climate Change Art & Science Dating Game

    UNFOLD: Climate Change Art & Science Dating Game

    What do climate research and art have in common? How do non-scientists interpret climate change issues?

  • Confessions from a Former Coniferphile

    Confessions from a Former Coniferphile

    The first time I felt truly fanatical about coniferous trees was while walking among the great eastern white pine trees in the Adirondack State Park as an undergraduate research assistant and student.

  • Addressing Gender Inequality Through Agriculture

    Addressing Gender Inequality Through Agriculture

    It has been well-documented that increasing women’s financial power is one of the most effective ways to develop a country (see: World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development). Mali is no exception, but due to laws that limit the amount of land women can hold, Malian women work mainly on small plots as horticulture…

  • Ethiopian Farmers Get First Payouts From New Crop Insurance Project

    Ethiopian Farmers Get First Payouts From New Crop Insurance Project

    An innovative crop insurance program that protects small African farmers against extreme weather made its first payouts last week, to growers in northern Ethiopia. The pilot “microinsurance” program gave a total of $17,392 to 1,800 farmers in seven villages, following a drought earlier this year.  The HARITA (Horn of Africa Risk Transfer for Adaptation) pilot was…

  • Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?

    Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?

    For millennia, people have set fires to clear land for cultivation, pastures or hunting; so-called slash-and-burn agriculture is still common across much of tropical Africa, Asia and South America. It has been a useful strategy–but …

  • Winter Extremes: So Last Year?

    Winter Extremes: So Last Year?

    What are the odds that this winter will be as snowy as the last two? Climate scientist Jason Smerdon and tree-ring scientist Rosanne D’Arrigo are working on an answer, looking at the long-term history of two important weather patterns—the North Atlantic Oscillation and La Niña state in the tropical Pacific—that similar to last year could…

  • The Center for Career Education Speaks with Students

    The Center for Career Education Speaks with Students

    Here are four questions to ask yourself if you’re a student about to start searching for a post-graduate job or internship: What do you like to do? How do you like to work? What sort of environment do you best work in? What things will you most value in a job? Financial security, prestige, helping…

  • Eni Brings New Energy to the Corporate Circle

    Eni Brings New Energy to the Corporate Circle

    In keeping with its corporate and social responsibility goals, Eni, an Italian energy company, recently renewed its Strategic Partnership with the Earth Institute’s Corporate Circle.