State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

General77

  • How Much Arsenic is Too Little?

    How Much Arsenic is Too Little?

    Five hundred utilities in the U.S. provide drinking water with unsafe levels of arsenic, the Environmental Protection Agency says. But how many people are getting too much arsenic in their water is much less clear, according to a study conducted in part by the Columbia Water Center.

  • Reduce, Reuse and Re-(bi)cycle

    Reduce, Reuse and Re-(bi)cycle

    Audra Stark plans to pedal 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C., from Sept. 20-24 to raise money for The Earth Institute and other organizations working on the issues of climate, environment and transportation. “Too often I’ve found myself and others complaining about and debating an issue without taking action in our daily…

  • MPA Students Explore Urban Parks

    MPA Students Explore Urban Parks

    During the second half of the summer semester for Columbia University’s MPA class in Environmental Science and Policy program, the students extended their classroom learning on urban ecology to outdoor field trips in Brooklyn and the Bronx to focus on how restorations of wetlands, forests, and rivers are changing the city.

  • Faint Young Sun

    Faint Young Sun

    Through an ancient looking-glass, Perhaps you’d see more H2 gas, And if with denser gas collided, Greater greenhouse warmth provided.

  • Reflections of a Changing North

    Reflections of a Changing North

    No one ever leaves the field the same way they entered it. Yes there is a new layer of mud on equipment, the expected wear and tear on your gear and your physical being. But also, an intangible shift in perspective.

  • Webinar Sept. 8 on Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

    Webinar Sept. 8 on Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

    Researcher Magdalena A K Muir will present a live webinar, “The UN Sustainable Development Goals: Setting an Agenda for Sustainability,” as part of the Association for Environmental Studies and Educators Webinar Series.

  • Authors of Clean Air Act to Teach New Law Class

    Authors of Clean Air Act to Teach New Law Class

    In the 1970s, Congress enacted a series of environmental laws that defined the direction and character of environmental policy. This fall, the writers of that legislation will teach a new class at Columbia dedicated to the process that led to these seminal laws.

  • Our Government is Incapable of Building a Sustainable Economy

    Our Government is Incapable of Building a Sustainable Economy

    My Columbia University colleagues Bill Eimicke and Alison Miller recently joined me in authoring a new book entitled Sustainability Policy: Hastening the Transition to A Cleaner Economy. If all goes well, Jossey-Bass publishers will release the book in early 2015. Our work focuses on how American government at the federal, state and local levels can…

  • Work, Youth, Optimism, and the Drive Toward a Safe, Sustainable Planet

    Earth Institute Executive Director Steve Cohen discusses the changing natures of work and opportunity in the transition to a sustainable economy.

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 Much Arsenic is Too Little?

    How Much Arsenic is Too Little?

    Five hundred utilities in the U.S. provide drinking water with unsafe levels of arsenic, the Environmental Protection Agency says. But how many people are getting too much arsenic in their water is much less clear, according to a study conducted in part by the Columbia Water Center.

  • Reduce, Reuse and Re-(bi)cycle

    Reduce, Reuse and Re-(bi)cycle

    Audra Stark plans to pedal 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C., from Sept. 20-24 to raise money for The Earth Institute and other organizations working on the issues of climate, environment and transportation. “Too often I’ve found myself and others complaining about and debating an issue without taking action in our daily…

  • MPA Students Explore Urban Parks

    MPA Students Explore Urban Parks

    During the second half of the summer semester for Columbia University’s MPA class in Environmental Science and Policy program, the students extended their classroom learning on urban ecology to outdoor field trips in Brooklyn and the Bronx to focus on how restorations of wetlands, forests, and rivers are changing the city.

  • Faint Young Sun

    Faint Young Sun

    Through an ancient looking-glass, Perhaps you’d see more H2 gas, And if with denser gas collided, Greater greenhouse warmth provided.

  • Reflections of a Changing North

    Reflections of a Changing North

    No one ever leaves the field the same way they entered it. Yes there is a new layer of mud on equipment, the expected wear and tear on your gear and your physical being. But also, an intangible shift in perspective.

  • Webinar Sept. 8 on Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

    Webinar Sept. 8 on Proposed Sustainable Development Goals

    Researcher Magdalena A K Muir will present a live webinar, “The UN Sustainable Development Goals: Setting an Agenda for Sustainability,” as part of the Association for Environmental Studies and Educators Webinar Series.

  • Authors of Clean Air Act to Teach New Law Class

    Authors of Clean Air Act to Teach New Law Class

    In the 1970s, Congress enacted a series of environmental laws that defined the direction and character of environmental policy. This fall, the writers of that legislation will teach a new class at Columbia dedicated to the process that led to these seminal laws.

  • Our Government is Incapable of Building a Sustainable Economy

    Our Government is Incapable of Building a Sustainable Economy

    My Columbia University colleagues Bill Eimicke and Alison Miller recently joined me in authoring a new book entitled Sustainability Policy: Hastening the Transition to A Cleaner Economy. If all goes well, Jossey-Bass publishers will release the book in early 2015. Our work focuses on how American government at the federal, state and local levels can…

  • Work, Youth, Optimism, and the Drive Toward a Safe, Sustainable Planet

    Earth Institute Executive Director Steve Cohen discusses the changing natures of work and opportunity in the transition to a sustainable economy.