State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General46

  • How Drones are Advancing Scientific Research

    How Drones are Advancing Scientific Research

    Where once scientists could only observe earth from above by using manned aircraft or satellites, today they are expanding, developing and refining their research in a variety of ways thanks to drones.

  • Malaria Risk Increases in Ethiopian Highlands as Temperatures Climb

    Malaria Risk Increases in Ethiopian Highlands as Temperatures Climb

    The highlands of Ethiopia are home to the majority of the country’s population, the cooler climate serving as a natural buffer against malaria transmission. New data now show that increasing temperatures over the past 35 years are eroding this buffer, allowing conditions more favorable for malaria to begin climbing into highland areas.

  • Senior Focuses on Sustainability Across STEM Disciplines

    Senior Focuses on Sustainability Across STEM Disciplines

    Nicholas Kirby shares his experience in the Undergraduate Sustainable Development Program as a rising senior.

  • Transforming a Passion for Oceans into Discovery

    Transforming a Passion for Oceans into Discovery

    Sustainability Management graduate Melissa Meggiolaro (’17) interviews Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory oceanographer Arnold Gordon.

  • Could Climate Change Shut Down the Gulf Stream?

    Could Climate Change Shut Down the Gulf Stream?

    In the 2004 disaster movie “The Day After Tomorrow,”, global warming accelerated the melting of polar ice, disrupting circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean and triggering violent changes in the weather. Could climate change shut down the Gulf Stream?

  • Honors Students Talk Future Goals After SDEV Program

    By Chandler Precht In spring 2017, three students from the Undergraduate Sustainable Development Program, Elana Sulakshana, Sophia Rhee, & Jonathan Young, received Departmental Honors and two students, Elana Sulakshana & Saradiane Mosko, received Phi Beta Kappa Honors. We spoke to them about their undergraduate experiences and their plans for making a sustainable future. Q&A with…

  • Leymah Gbowee: Out of War, a Legacy of Building Peace

    Leymah Gbowee: Out of War, a Legacy of Building Peace

    Leymah Gbowee was 17 when war broke out in Liberia. Her experiences drove her onto a path of suffering, discovery and service that led to work rehabilitating child soldiers and helping build peace, village by village, in Liberia and eventually neighboring Sierra Leone.

  • Ensuring that Real Information and Analysis Impacts Decisions

    Ensuring that Real Information and Analysis Impacts Decisions

    We are in a new era of information, computation and communication, which requires that we develop new methods for verifying facts and data.

  • The Beatles and the Dawn of Global Culture

    The Beatles and the Dawn of Global Culture

    The Beatles demonstrated that something foreign could be exciting and worth exploring. We don’t need to make America great again or only think of America first. The Beatles came into being at the dawn of our global culture and I strongly believe we are nowhere near its dusk.

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!

  • How Drones are Advancing Scientific Research

    How Drones are Advancing Scientific Research

    Where once scientists could only observe earth from above by using manned aircraft or satellites, today they are expanding, developing and refining their research in a variety of ways thanks to drones.

  • Malaria Risk Increases in Ethiopian Highlands as Temperatures Climb

    Malaria Risk Increases in Ethiopian Highlands as Temperatures Climb

    The highlands of Ethiopia are home to the majority of the country’s population, the cooler climate serving as a natural buffer against malaria transmission. New data now show that increasing temperatures over the past 35 years are eroding this buffer, allowing conditions more favorable for malaria to begin climbing into highland areas.

  • Senior Focuses on Sustainability Across STEM Disciplines

    Senior Focuses on Sustainability Across STEM Disciplines

    Nicholas Kirby shares his experience in the Undergraduate Sustainable Development Program as a rising senior.

  • Transforming a Passion for Oceans into Discovery

    Transforming a Passion for Oceans into Discovery

    Sustainability Management graduate Melissa Meggiolaro (’17) interviews Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory oceanographer Arnold Gordon.

  • Could Climate Change Shut Down the Gulf Stream?

    Could Climate Change Shut Down the Gulf Stream?

    In the 2004 disaster movie “The Day After Tomorrow,”, global warming accelerated the melting of polar ice, disrupting circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean and triggering violent changes in the weather. Could climate change shut down the Gulf Stream?

  • Honors Students Talk Future Goals After SDEV Program

    By Chandler Precht In spring 2017, three students from the Undergraduate Sustainable Development Program, Elana Sulakshana, Sophia Rhee, & Jonathan Young, received Departmental Honors and two students, Elana Sulakshana & Saradiane Mosko, received Phi Beta Kappa Honors. We spoke to them about their undergraduate experiences and their plans for making a sustainable future. Q&A with…

  • Leymah Gbowee: Out of War, a Legacy of Building Peace

    Leymah Gbowee: Out of War, a Legacy of Building Peace

    Leymah Gbowee was 17 when war broke out in Liberia. Her experiences drove her onto a path of suffering, discovery and service that led to work rehabilitating child soldiers and helping build peace, village by village, in Liberia and eventually neighboring Sierra Leone.

  • Ensuring that Real Information and Analysis Impacts Decisions

    Ensuring that Real Information and Analysis Impacts Decisions

    We are in a new era of information, computation and communication, which requires that we develop new methods for verifying facts and data.

  • The Beatles and the Dawn of Global Culture

    The Beatles and the Dawn of Global Culture

    The Beatles demonstrated that something foreign could be exciting and worth exploring. We don’t need to make America great again or only think of America first. The Beatles came into being at the dawn of our global culture and I strongly believe we are nowhere near its dusk.