State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General194

  • A New Look at Global Water Scarcity from Columbia Water Center

    A New Look at Global Water Scarcity from Columbia Water Center

    Columbia Water Center is committed to sharing and disseminating the knowledge from research and development projects we have completed and are currently working on. We aim to create a collaborative environment in which progress towards understanding and addressing the increasing demands and scarcity of freshwater can be made in the 21st century. To help visualize…

  • How to cross a crevasse zone on the Antarctic ice sheet

    How to cross a crevasse zone on the Antarctic ice sheet

    Back at the Central Transantarctic Mountain camp, our ‘Antarctica Secrets’ team figures out the best way to cross a crevasse zone to get to their next field camp at Mt Achernar.

  • Aditya Birla Group and EDF Group Join the Earth Institute Corporate Circle

    Aditya Birla Group and EDF Group Join the Earth Institute Corporate Circle

    The Earth Institute is pleased to welcome the the Aditya Birla Group and the EDF Group into the Corporate Circle, a collective partnership of leading corporations from across the globe committed to pursuing sustainable development objectives. The Aditya Birla Group, the Corporate Circle’s newest Strategic Partner, is a $29 billion corporation in the league of…

  • Moraines and spaghetti in the Transantarctic Mountains

    Moraines and spaghetti in the Transantarctic Mountains

    Our Antarctica Secret’s team starts collecting samples at their first remote field site at Mt Howe, Transantarctic Mountains, about 180 miles from the South Pole.

  • Setting up camp 184 miles from the South Pole

    Setting up camp 184 miles from the South Pole

    Our field team flies from McMurdo to their first base camp, named CTAM, which stands for Central Transantarctic Mountains. This camp is set up by the US National Science Foundation every 5 to 10 years, with input from scientists on the cutting edge research that can be done in the region.

  • Survival training in Antarctica – aka Happy Camper

    Survival training in Antarctica – aka Happy Camper

    Mike Kaplan and Nicole Bader, first-timers in Antarctica, report from taking their basic survival training at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, aka ‘Happy Campers’

  • The Worsening Water Crisis in Gujarat, India

    The Worsening Water Crisis in Gujarat, India

    For more than three decades, the farmers in Northern Gujarat State, in India, have produced abundant food crops, and have had a thriving dairy industry. In order to make that happen, they have been using once plentiful underground water resources. Because local aquifers are being replenished more slowly than the water is being withdrawn, groundwater…

  • Disasters, and the Traps of Poverty and Wealth

    We like to categorize disasters into two types – natural and man-made. 2011 has begun with massive flooding in agricultural regions of Northeast Australia causing shoppers to brace for the inevitable increase in food prices that will soon follow. Just one death so far though and no doubt the rugged Australian farmer will get through…

  • Timor-Leste: Sustainable Development Initiative Launched by the Vale Columbia Center in Partnership with the Revenue Watch Institute and the Open Society Foundations

    Timor-Leste: Sustainable Development Initiative Launched by the Vale Columbia Center in Partnership with the Revenue Watch Institute and the Open Society Foundations

    The Open Society Foundations have awarded $800,000 to the Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment to promote integrated development in Timor-Leste in collaboration with the Revenue Watch Institute (RWI). Though rich in oil and gas, the island nation of Timor-Leste remains one of the least developed countries in the world.  To use its revenues…

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

  • A New Look at Global Water Scarcity from Columbia Water Center

    A New Look at Global Water Scarcity from Columbia Water Center

    Columbia Water Center is committed to sharing and disseminating the knowledge from research and development projects we have completed and are currently working on. We aim to create a collaborative environment in which progress towards understanding and addressing the increasing demands and scarcity of freshwater can be made in the 21st century. To help visualize…

  • How to cross a crevasse zone on the Antarctic ice sheet

    How to cross a crevasse zone on the Antarctic ice sheet

    Back at the Central Transantarctic Mountain camp, our ‘Antarctica Secrets’ team figures out the best way to cross a crevasse zone to get to their next field camp at Mt Achernar.

  • Aditya Birla Group and EDF Group Join the Earth Institute Corporate Circle

    Aditya Birla Group and EDF Group Join the Earth Institute Corporate Circle

    The Earth Institute is pleased to welcome the the Aditya Birla Group and the EDF Group into the Corporate Circle, a collective partnership of leading corporations from across the globe committed to pursuing sustainable development objectives. The Aditya Birla Group, the Corporate Circle’s newest Strategic Partner, is a $29 billion corporation in the league of…

  • Moraines and spaghetti in the Transantarctic Mountains

    Moraines and spaghetti in the Transantarctic Mountains

    Our Antarctica Secret’s team starts collecting samples at their first remote field site at Mt Howe, Transantarctic Mountains, about 180 miles from the South Pole.

  • Setting up camp 184 miles from the South Pole

    Setting up camp 184 miles from the South Pole

    Our field team flies from McMurdo to their first base camp, named CTAM, which stands for Central Transantarctic Mountains. This camp is set up by the US National Science Foundation every 5 to 10 years, with input from scientists on the cutting edge research that can be done in the region.

  • Survival training in Antarctica – aka Happy Camper

    Survival training in Antarctica – aka Happy Camper

    Mike Kaplan and Nicole Bader, first-timers in Antarctica, report from taking their basic survival training at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, aka ‘Happy Campers’

  • The Worsening Water Crisis in Gujarat, India

    The Worsening Water Crisis in Gujarat, India

    For more than three decades, the farmers in Northern Gujarat State, in India, have produced abundant food crops, and have had a thriving dairy industry. In order to make that happen, they have been using once plentiful underground water resources. Because local aquifers are being replenished more slowly than the water is being withdrawn, groundwater…

  • Disasters, and the Traps of Poverty and Wealth

    We like to categorize disasters into two types – natural and man-made. 2011 has begun with massive flooding in agricultural regions of Northeast Australia causing shoppers to brace for the inevitable increase in food prices that will soon follow. Just one death so far though and no doubt the rugged Australian farmer will get through…

  • Timor-Leste: Sustainable Development Initiative Launched by the Vale Columbia Center in Partnership with the Revenue Watch Institute and the Open Society Foundations

    Timor-Leste: Sustainable Development Initiative Launched by the Vale Columbia Center in Partnership with the Revenue Watch Institute and the Open Society Foundations

    The Open Society Foundations have awarded $800,000 to the Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment to promote integrated development in Timor-Leste in collaboration with the Revenue Watch Institute (RWI). Though rich in oil and gas, the island nation of Timor-Leste remains one of the least developed countries in the world.  To use its revenues…