State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Health42

  • Professor Jeffrey Sachs Extends Term as Director of the Earth Institute

    Professor Jeffrey Sachs Extends Term as Director of the Earth Institute

    The Earth Institute, Columbia University announced that Professor Jeffrey Sachs has agreed to extend his term as its director. Since his tenure began in 2002, Sachs has led the Earth Institute to become a leading scientific authority on sustainable development while simultaneously expanding its reach worldwide. Through his guidance, the Earth Institute and its scientists…

  • Update: Youth-led Project H2O Continues to Inspire

    Update: Youth-led Project H2O Continues to Inspire

    We first reported about the project by a group of Puerto Rican high school students, Project H2O (Help to Others), and the documentary film about the project being made by the parents of one of the students, in August 2010. The students are continuing to develop Project H2O in their school, in an educational phase…

  • Our newest Model District (in a state of 199 million people)

    Our newest Model District (in a state of 199 million people)

    We’ve launched the second of five Model Districts: in a state big enough to be the 5th largest country in the world.

  • India is booming – so why are nearly half of its children malnourished? (Part 2)

    About one third of the world’s malnourished children live in India. What is the country doing about its nutrition challenges, and is there a way forward?

  • India is booming – so why are nearly half of its children malnourished? (Part 1)

    India has more hungry people than anywhere in the world, and remains an enigma in global nutrition. How can a country have shining economic growth and strong agricultural productivity, without commensurate reductions in hunger and malnutrition?

  • A Medical Mission to a Millennium City

    A Medical Mission to a Millennium City

    The following is a guest blog, authored by Dr. Medhat Allam, Chairman of International Surgical Mission Support, one of MCI’s partners. In Kenya, like with many developing counties, residents often lack access to specialized medical care. International Surgical Mission Support (ISMS), which strives to train medical professionals and provide free care to those in need,…

  • Improving Climate Prediction in Africa

    Improving Climate Prediction in Africa

    Africa lags the developed world in weather stations but still produces a surprising amount of data. Too bad few people are using it. Scientists at Columbia University and a growing number of others—among them Bill Gates and the charity arm of Google—are pushing to open Africa’s climate archive to the world by making it free.…

  • Celebrating World TB Day: Private Donations Pave Way for Progress on Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in Mali

    Celebrating World TB Day: Private Donations Pave Way for Progress on Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in Mali

    To celebrate World Tuberculosis Day, the Earth Institute has linked with Becton Dickinson to improve the diagnosis of the disease in regions where it is needed most.

  • India’s progress towards the healthcare MDGs

    India’s progress towards the healthcare MDGs

    The Model Districts project is narrowing in on maternal and child health, with targets set by MDGs 1, 4, 5. How is India progressing towards these goals?

Banner: Climate Week NYC 2025, September 21-28, 2025
  • Professor Jeffrey Sachs Extends Term as Director of the Earth Institute

    Professor Jeffrey Sachs Extends Term as Director of the Earth Institute

    The Earth Institute, Columbia University announced that Professor Jeffrey Sachs has agreed to extend his term as its director. Since his tenure began in 2002, Sachs has led the Earth Institute to become a leading scientific authority on sustainable development while simultaneously expanding its reach worldwide. Through his guidance, the Earth Institute and its scientists…

  • Update: Youth-led Project H2O Continues to Inspire

    Update: Youth-led Project H2O Continues to Inspire

    We first reported about the project by a group of Puerto Rican high school students, Project H2O (Help to Others), and the documentary film about the project being made by the parents of one of the students, in August 2010. The students are continuing to develop Project H2O in their school, in an educational phase…

  • Our newest Model District (in a state of 199 million people)

    Our newest Model District (in a state of 199 million people)

    We’ve launched the second of five Model Districts: in a state big enough to be the 5th largest country in the world.

  • India is booming – so why are nearly half of its children malnourished? (Part 2)

    About one third of the world’s malnourished children live in India. What is the country doing about its nutrition challenges, and is there a way forward?

  • India is booming – so why are nearly half of its children malnourished? (Part 1)

    India has more hungry people than anywhere in the world, and remains an enigma in global nutrition. How can a country have shining economic growth and strong agricultural productivity, without commensurate reductions in hunger and malnutrition?

  • A Medical Mission to a Millennium City

    A Medical Mission to a Millennium City

    The following is a guest blog, authored by Dr. Medhat Allam, Chairman of International Surgical Mission Support, one of MCI’s partners. In Kenya, like with many developing counties, residents often lack access to specialized medical care. International Surgical Mission Support (ISMS), which strives to train medical professionals and provide free care to those in need,…

  • Improving Climate Prediction in Africa

    Improving Climate Prediction in Africa

    Africa lags the developed world in weather stations but still produces a surprising amount of data. Too bad few people are using it. Scientists at Columbia University and a growing number of others—among them Bill Gates and the charity arm of Google—are pushing to open Africa’s climate archive to the world by making it free.…

  • Celebrating World TB Day: Private Donations Pave Way for Progress on Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in Mali

    Celebrating World TB Day: Private Donations Pave Way for Progress on Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in Mali

    To celebrate World Tuberculosis Day, the Earth Institute has linked with Becton Dickinson to improve the diagnosis of the disease in regions where it is needed most.

  • India’s progress towards the healthcare MDGs

    India’s progress towards the healthcare MDGs

    The Model Districts project is narrowing in on maternal and child health, with targets set by MDGs 1, 4, 5. How is India progressing towards these goals?