State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General184

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #2

    There’s a LOT more today. Stick  with us while we continue to update. TV and radio media at bottom of the page. By Jeffrey Sachs Financial Times – Sep 21, 2010 Pool resources and reinvent global aid Independent – Sep 19, 2010 Professor Jeffrey Sachs: It’s not a question of capacity, it’s a matter of…

  • The Infinite Space Between Life and Death: 3 Case Reports from Raphy Rosen

    Raphy‘s last account chronicled the bright side of living at TCC; the camaraderie and playfulness that at times exudes from the patients. This sunny reality is made much more exciting by the contrasting darkness of that to which it is opposed. While hospitals strive to cultivate health, they are inevitably overshadowed by illness and loss.…

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #1

    Here’s a list of some of the media that’s been mustered up for MDG week at the UN. I’ll update as the week goes on. International Herald Tribune: By Jeffrey D Sachs Millennium Goals, Five Years to Go. New York Times–Sept 19, 2010 UN Poverty Goals Face Accountability Questions BBC Radio and TV–Sept 15, 2010…

  • Not Enough New Scientists and Engineers Entering the Energy Industry

    With the current emphasis of countries around the world on improving internal infrastructure by Smartening the Electric Grid, replacing hydrocarbons with Alternative Energy sources, repairing aging roads and bridges, and better securing our water systems, I’ve been thinking a lot about Rick Smalley of Rice University. He discovered the “Buckyball”, or Carbon Fullerene, and won…

  • Reaching the Millennium Development Goals in the Millennium Villages and Beyond

    Reaching the Millennium Development Goals in the Millennium Villages and Beyond

    There are just five years left until the deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, eight ambitious objectives to tackle extreme poverty and its many dimensions and reach a more equitable and sustainable world by 2015. World leaders are gathering this month at the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals to see that…

  • Implementing the Lean Smart Grid

    As utilities and suppliers begin the modernization of the electric grid in the United States into the “Smart Grid”, there seem to be two schools of thought circulating across the country. There are those looking forward to the change and those dreading the consequences of the change. Those looking forward to the change are anticipating…

  • The Electric Cities of the Future

    We all hate getting caught in urban traffic jams; especially those with semi-trailer trucks everywhere. A Computer Aided Lean Management (CALM) approach to traffic congestion in the cities of the world creates win-win solutions to such complex problems. My favorite is to lower the volume of vehicles on the roads by voluntarily moving people to…

  • The Pearl of Africa

    My cell phone rang in the middle of the night. “Are you in Kampala?” On the other line was my husband informing me that two bombs went off in Uganda’s capital city just several hours before, killing scores of people gathered at public spots to watch the final game of the World Cup. I was…

  • More Ways to Study Sustainable Development Than Ever Before

    More Ways to Study Sustainable Development Than Ever Before

    There are several new courses and educational opportunities open to students this fall: Undergraduate Major in Sustainable Development (NEW MAJOR) Economic and Financial Methods for Sustainable Development (Satyajit Bose) The objective of this course is to introduce students to the skills and methods necessary to understand and evaluate the economic and financial aspects of sustainable…

Blue banner with kids and Earth photos. Text: "Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House, Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10am-4pm.

On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #2

    There’s a LOT more today. Stick  with us while we continue to update. TV and radio media at bottom of the page. By Jeffrey Sachs Financial Times – Sep 21, 2010 Pool resources and reinvent global aid Independent – Sep 19, 2010 Professor Jeffrey Sachs: It’s not a question of capacity, it’s a matter of…

  • The Infinite Space Between Life and Death: 3 Case Reports from Raphy Rosen

    Raphy‘s last account chronicled the bright side of living at TCC; the camaraderie and playfulness that at times exudes from the patients. This sunny reality is made much more exciting by the contrasting darkness of that to which it is opposed. While hospitals strive to cultivate health, they are inevitably overshadowed by illness and loss.…

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #1

    Here’s a list of some of the media that’s been mustered up for MDG week at the UN. I’ll update as the week goes on. International Herald Tribune: By Jeffrey D Sachs Millennium Goals, Five Years to Go. New York Times–Sept 19, 2010 UN Poverty Goals Face Accountability Questions BBC Radio and TV–Sept 15, 2010…

  • Not Enough New Scientists and Engineers Entering the Energy Industry

    With the current emphasis of countries around the world on improving internal infrastructure by Smartening the Electric Grid, replacing hydrocarbons with Alternative Energy sources, repairing aging roads and bridges, and better securing our water systems, I’ve been thinking a lot about Rick Smalley of Rice University. He discovered the “Buckyball”, or Carbon Fullerene, and won…

  • Reaching the Millennium Development Goals in the Millennium Villages and Beyond

    Reaching the Millennium Development Goals in the Millennium Villages and Beyond

    There are just five years left until the deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, eight ambitious objectives to tackle extreme poverty and its many dimensions and reach a more equitable and sustainable world by 2015. World leaders are gathering this month at the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals to see that…

  • Implementing the Lean Smart Grid

    As utilities and suppliers begin the modernization of the electric grid in the United States into the “Smart Grid”, there seem to be two schools of thought circulating across the country. There are those looking forward to the change and those dreading the consequences of the change. Those looking forward to the change are anticipating…

  • The Electric Cities of the Future

    We all hate getting caught in urban traffic jams; especially those with semi-trailer trucks everywhere. A Computer Aided Lean Management (CALM) approach to traffic congestion in the cities of the world creates win-win solutions to such complex problems. My favorite is to lower the volume of vehicles on the roads by voluntarily moving people to…

  • The Pearl of Africa

    My cell phone rang in the middle of the night. “Are you in Kampala?” On the other line was my husband informing me that two bombs went off in Uganda’s capital city just several hours before, killing scores of people gathered at public spots to watch the final game of the World Cup. I was…

  • More Ways to Study Sustainable Development Than Ever Before

    More Ways to Study Sustainable Development Than Ever Before

    There are several new courses and educational opportunities open to students this fall: Undergraduate Major in Sustainable Development (NEW MAJOR) Economic and Financial Methods for Sustainable Development (Satyajit Bose) The objective of this course is to introduce students to the skills and methods necessary to understand and evaluate the economic and financial aspects of sustainable…