State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General56

  • Complicate to Simplify: Lessons from Complexity Science

    Complicate to Simplify: Lessons from Complexity Science

    What our team found at this school in the Bronx is what we see in many intractable social problems. They spring from a complex constellation of ills, and the longer they last the more complicated they get. And the more simple they seem from the inside.

  • Tiny Architects

    Tiny Architects

    Heaved upwards from your deep and watery grave, From the quiet murk onto a chaotic, brine-encrusted ship deck, You’re ever so carefully washed free from the mud, From all the rinsings of continents that settled out of the sea with you Like snow, softly entombing your remains.

  • Faculty Profile: Peter deMenocal

    Faculty Profile: Peter deMenocal

    As a young undergraduate, Peter deMenocal once wandered the halls of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he met Charlie Hollister, a well-known and charismatic marine geologist. Charlie invited him into his large office and recounted his life as an oceanographer: travel to distant ports, research on the open ocean, rigorous science and the thrill…

  • In China, Establishing Indicators for Global Sustainable Development

    In China, Establishing Indicators for Global Sustainable Development

    Last weekend, Earth Institute executive director Steven Cohen and post-doctoral research scholar Dong Guo participated in the Fourth Global Think Tank Summit in Beijing, hosted by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE). CCIEE, the preeminent think tank in China headed by the former vice premier, hosted hundreds of politicians, scholars, business leaders, and…

  • Vetlesen Science Prize Celebrated at Columbia Gala

    Vetlesen Science Prize Celebrated at Columbia Gala

    Stephen Sparks, one of the world’s foremost experts on volcanoes, received the Vetlesen Prize for his groundbreaking scientific work at a ceremony held June 24 at Columbia University. Two-hundred-fifty people attended the formal gathering in the Low Library Rotunda.

  • Finding Pluto

    Finding Pluto

    Far away, a beloved dot Arcs through cold and shrouded spaces, Not lonely, as we had once thought, But circled by more rocky faces:

  • Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Hosts New MPA Students

    Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Hosts New MPA Students

    On Monday, June 22, the newest Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science & Policy (MPA-ESP) candidates spent a beautiful, sunny day touring Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, just a short bus ride away in Palisades, NY. Led by Environmental Chemistry professor Benjamin Bostick and Climatology professor Jason Smerdon, the students were exposed to many different…

  • Apply Now for Fall Curriculum Grading Assistant Posts

    Apply Now for Fall Curriculum Grading Assistant Posts

    The Sustainability Management program is seeking candidates for curriculum and grading assistant positions for the fall 2015 semester. Read on for details.

  • Bringing a Passion for Nature to the Business World

    Bringing a Passion for Nature to the Business World

    Inspired by his childhood fascination with the outdoors, current Sustainability Management student Zach Bogoshian joined the program to implement lessons from nature to our current environmental challenges. In the program, this hopeful notion has manifested itself as a passion for creating innovative networks to connect people with sustainable solutions that don’t discount financial return. As…

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!

  • Complicate to Simplify: Lessons from Complexity Science

    Complicate to Simplify: Lessons from Complexity Science

    What our team found at this school in the Bronx is what we see in many intractable social problems. They spring from a complex constellation of ills, and the longer they last the more complicated they get. And the more simple they seem from the inside.

  • Tiny Architects

    Tiny Architects

    Heaved upwards from your deep and watery grave, From the quiet murk onto a chaotic, brine-encrusted ship deck, You’re ever so carefully washed free from the mud, From all the rinsings of continents that settled out of the sea with you Like snow, softly entombing your remains.

  • Faculty Profile: Peter deMenocal

    Faculty Profile: Peter deMenocal

    As a young undergraduate, Peter deMenocal once wandered the halls of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he met Charlie Hollister, a well-known and charismatic marine geologist. Charlie invited him into his large office and recounted his life as an oceanographer: travel to distant ports, research on the open ocean, rigorous science and the thrill…

  • In China, Establishing Indicators for Global Sustainable Development

    In China, Establishing Indicators for Global Sustainable Development

    Last weekend, Earth Institute executive director Steven Cohen and post-doctoral research scholar Dong Guo participated in the Fourth Global Think Tank Summit in Beijing, hosted by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE). CCIEE, the preeminent think tank in China headed by the former vice premier, hosted hundreds of politicians, scholars, business leaders, and…

  • Vetlesen Science Prize Celebrated at Columbia Gala

    Vetlesen Science Prize Celebrated at Columbia Gala

    Stephen Sparks, one of the world’s foremost experts on volcanoes, received the Vetlesen Prize for his groundbreaking scientific work at a ceremony held June 24 at Columbia University. Two-hundred-fifty people attended the formal gathering in the Low Library Rotunda.

  • Finding Pluto

    Finding Pluto

    Far away, a beloved dot Arcs through cold and shrouded spaces, Not lonely, as we had once thought, But circled by more rocky faces:

  • Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Hosts New MPA Students

    Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Hosts New MPA Students

    On Monday, June 22, the newest Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science & Policy (MPA-ESP) candidates spent a beautiful, sunny day touring Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, just a short bus ride away in Palisades, NY. Led by Environmental Chemistry professor Benjamin Bostick and Climatology professor Jason Smerdon, the students were exposed to many different…

  • Apply Now for Fall Curriculum Grading Assistant Posts

    Apply Now for Fall Curriculum Grading Assistant Posts

    The Sustainability Management program is seeking candidates for curriculum and grading assistant positions for the fall 2015 semester. Read on for details.

  • Bringing a Passion for Nature to the Business World

    Bringing a Passion for Nature to the Business World

    Inspired by his childhood fascination with the outdoors, current Sustainability Management student Zach Bogoshian joined the program to implement lessons from nature to our current environmental challenges. In the program, this hopeful notion has manifested itself as a passion for creating innovative networks to connect people with sustainable solutions that don’t discount financial return. As…