General209
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HSBC Supported Climate Change Adaptation Research Showcased
On Friday, April 2, 2010, the Earth Institute hosted the Climate Change Adaptation Student Research Showcase on Columbia University’s Morningside campus. Here, 14 students presented their groundbreaking work to identify, understand and reduce the effects of climate change in New York City. The event was the culmination of the Climate Change Adaptation Initiative where student…
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What can we learn from ‘land terminating’ glaciers?
Nature is keeping us in check at every turn. With weather and volcanic ash clouds limiting visibility we have to regularly rearrange plans, but most days we are able to capture a fairly complete set of data.The flight over Russell Glacier in Southwest Greenland (just inland from Kanger) was a redirect from a mission aborted…
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Greenland’s ‘Big Three’ Glaciers
Today’s flight had to be carefully planned in order to avoid the volcanic ash plume still drifting from Iceland, so we flew to the east coast of Greenland to survey the Helheim glacier first. Glaciologists refer to Helheim glacier as one of ‘The big three’ in Greenland. The ‘big three’ (Helheim, Jakobshavn/Ilulissat and Kangerdlussuaq) are among…
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Pastoralists Thrive in Rural Kenya: Turning Camel’s Milk into Gold
Pastoralists are people who live mostly in dry, remote areas, whose livelihoods depend on their intimate knowledge of the surrounding ecosystem and on the wellbeing of their livestock (IFAD). Most pastoralists raise livestock and practice animal husbandry consisting usually of camels, goats, cattle, yaks, sheep, horses, llamas, alpacas, reindeer and vicunas. Pastoralists tend to be…
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Achieving International Health Objectives with New Media and Technology
As I walk with Community Health Workers in the Millennium Villages throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, I notice the long distances, endless demand for services and the individual hardship they endure to reach every member of the community. In the past few years, the nature of their work has profoundly changed as cell-phones become a nearly ubiquitous…
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Harlem Shows its Green Thumb
On Earth Day, April 22nd, Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice came together with the CSSR and WeAct (West Harlem Environmental Action) to give a tour of Harlem using the new Healthy Living Harlem Green Map. The map is a public resource that shows the community where green spaces—such as community gardens, food coops, and parks—can…
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Making mHealth a Reality
Last fall, under the direction of Dr. Patricia Mechael at The Earth Institute at Columbia University, our team of mHealth interns conducted a review of evidence-based studies on mobile health, or mHealth. The product of that work is being released today as part of the mHealth Alliance thought leadership series, and tied to the USAID,…
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Earthquake Chasers in Upstate New York
Following a series of small, mysterious earthquakes in the rural town of Berne, southwest of Albany, N.Y., seismologists from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have placed three temporary seismometers in the area, in an attempt to understand what is driving the tremors and assess whether there is a risk of larger events. Occasional small quakes have been recorded…
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Racing to Save the Planet: Conservation Efforts in the Gulf Region
The April 20th explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of Louisiana continues to pour thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico each day. The spill—which is being heralded as the worst oil disaster in US history—is quickly encroaching upon the habitats of hundreds of species in the Gulf…
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