State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General180

  • Imagining the Hudson before Humans

    Imagining the Hudson before Humans

    Pollution is just one way that humans have transformed the Hudson River. A small way, it turns out. We have altered the Hudson’s shape, the speed of its flow and the mix of plants and trees along its banks. In a new book, Environmental History of the Hudson River, two Lamont-Doherty scientists who contributed chapters—Frank…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 10/02

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 10/02

    With Death of Forests, a Loss of Key Climate Protectors; U.S. aviation lobbying ‘will not change European emission trading laws’; Climate change eradicating Arctic’s oldest ice; Is climate change affecting fall foliage?

  • A Former Teacher Learns to Be an Effective Change Agent

    A Former Teacher Learns to Be an Effective Change Agent

    Expected to graduate in May 2012, Cindy Hollenberg, is confident that climatology has been her favorite class to date because it’s dynamic, but she can’t choose just one area of environmental policy and management that interests her most. “I have a difficult time choosing just one for the same reason that I was drawn to…

  • Excursion to Dhaka

    Excursion to Dhaka

    Finishing up in the muddy rivers of NE Bangladesh, we headed downstream to switch to the mighty Brahmaputra River system. However, on the way down I had to jump ship to go into traffic-clogged Dhaka for some meetings before rejoining her on the Padma, the name of the combined Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers.

  • Planning for Future Disasters

    Planning for Future Disasters

    On September 13, the Senate passed a $7 billion disaster aid package that will replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s depleted funds in order to aid several states still reeling in the wake of widespread flooding, wildfires, tornadoes and tropical storms. But cleanup and recovery is only one part of the disaster cycle. Fortunately, Congress…

  • Return to Jamalganj

    Return to Jamalganj

    We have been sailing along collecting data, but so far the data quality is poor due to shallow gas in the sediments.  We thought we might have some problems with gas, but the problem is more widespread than we expected.  We are now out of the inland summer lake where we met the boat and…

  • Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time

    Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time

    Considered to be the father of wildlife management and conservation and a pioneer of the wilderness system, Aldo Leopold radically influenced the development of environmental ethics and sustainability.

  • Exploring an Unknown Arctic Seabottom (No Ice Included)

    Exploring an Unknown Arctic Seabottom (No Ice Included)

    Readers can follow a New York Times blog from the arctic as the U.S. flagship vessel for charting geology under the seabed sails the Chukchi Sea, north of Alaska and Siberia. By sending sound pulses to the seabed and reading the echoes, scientists conducting the Chukchi Edges project aboard the Marcus G. Langseth hope to understand the structure and history of…

  • School-Business Partnerships Key to Job Training

    School-Business Partnerships Key to Job Training

    President Obama’s proposed American Jobs Act was presented to Congress this week. Included in the $447 billion jobs package is about $5 billion toward community college construction. Community colleges are uniquely positioned to provide workforce training and higher education.

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

  • Imagining the Hudson before Humans

    Imagining the Hudson before Humans

    Pollution is just one way that humans have transformed the Hudson River. A small way, it turns out. We have altered the Hudson’s shape, the speed of its flow and the mix of plants and trees along its banks. In a new book, Environmental History of the Hudson River, two Lamont-Doherty scientists who contributed chapters—Frank…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 10/02

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 10/02

    With Death of Forests, a Loss of Key Climate Protectors; U.S. aviation lobbying ‘will not change European emission trading laws’; Climate change eradicating Arctic’s oldest ice; Is climate change affecting fall foliage?

  • A Former Teacher Learns to Be an Effective Change Agent

    A Former Teacher Learns to Be an Effective Change Agent

    Expected to graduate in May 2012, Cindy Hollenberg, is confident that climatology has been her favorite class to date because it’s dynamic, but she can’t choose just one area of environmental policy and management that interests her most. “I have a difficult time choosing just one for the same reason that I was drawn to…

  • Excursion to Dhaka

    Excursion to Dhaka

    Finishing up in the muddy rivers of NE Bangladesh, we headed downstream to switch to the mighty Brahmaputra River system. However, on the way down I had to jump ship to go into traffic-clogged Dhaka for some meetings before rejoining her on the Padma, the name of the combined Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers.

  • Planning for Future Disasters

    Planning for Future Disasters

    On September 13, the Senate passed a $7 billion disaster aid package that will replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s depleted funds in order to aid several states still reeling in the wake of widespread flooding, wildfires, tornadoes and tropical storms. But cleanup and recovery is only one part of the disaster cycle. Fortunately, Congress…

  • Return to Jamalganj

    Return to Jamalganj

    We have been sailing along collecting data, but so far the data quality is poor due to shallow gas in the sediments.  We thought we might have some problems with gas, but the problem is more widespread than we expected.  We are now out of the inland summer lake where we met the boat and…

  • Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time

    Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time

    Considered to be the father of wildlife management and conservation and a pioneer of the wilderness system, Aldo Leopold radically influenced the development of environmental ethics and sustainability.

  • Exploring an Unknown Arctic Seabottom (No Ice Included)

    Exploring an Unknown Arctic Seabottom (No Ice Included)

    Readers can follow a New York Times blog from the arctic as the U.S. flagship vessel for charting geology under the seabed sails the Chukchi Sea, north of Alaska and Siberia. By sending sound pulses to the seabed and reading the echoes, scientists conducting the Chukchi Edges project aboard the Marcus G. Langseth hope to understand the structure and history of…

  • School-Business Partnerships Key to Job Training

    School-Business Partnerships Key to Job Training

    President Obama’s proposed American Jobs Act was presented to Congress this week. Included in the $447 billion jobs package is about $5 billion toward community college construction. Community colleges are uniquely positioned to provide workforce training and higher education.