State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Natural Disasters48

  • On Gulf Coast, Organizing Youth to Face Disaster

    On Gulf Coast, Organizing Youth to Face Disaster

    A new youth development and disaster recovery program, which grew out of research on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will debut in five Gulf Coast high schools. The project will bring together teens to create and share resources to help communities recover from disasters.

  • What We Learned From Hurricane Sandy

    What We Learned From Hurricane Sandy

    Earth Institute experts weigh in as the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy approaches.

  • Conservation & Environmental Sustainability – Fall 2013 Courses

    Conservation & Environmental Sustainability – Fall 2013 Courses

    The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University provides executive training in environmental sustainability through courses in science, economics and policy. We invite you to join our leading experts and practitioners, strengthen your understanding of human-ecosystem interactions, and become an effective environmental leader and decision-maker.

  • Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Tornadoes are rare at any one location, but out of anywhere in the United States, the central Oklahoma area has the greatest risk—and this day would prove no exception.

  • Tides Play a Role in Triggering Undersea Earthquakes

    Tides Play a Role in Triggering Undersea Earthquakes

    Can shifting tides trigger earthquakes? Research done by Maya Tolstoy, a geophysicist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, suggests they do.

  • Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    The impact of climate change on New York City could be even more severe than previously thought, putting more people at risk from increasingly frequent floods and heat waves, according to a report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change that was released Monday.

  • 400 ppm World, Part 2: Rising Seas Come with Rising CO2

    400 ppm World, Part 2: Rising Seas Come with Rising CO2

    Every indication is that thermal expansion will not dominate rates of sea-level rise in the future. As Earth’s climate marches toward equilibration with present-day CO2 levels, the climate will continue to warm. And this warming threatens the stability of a potentially much, much larger source for sea-level rise — the world’s remaining ice sheets.

  • The Microgrid Solution

    The Microgrid Solution

    Last October, Superstorm Sandy provoked widespread frustration and fear after it left more than 7.5 million people in the New York Metro area without power. In the hardest hit areas, outages lasted two weeks or more. These failures led many observers to wonder if America’s aging electrical grid was up to dealing with emerging climate…

  • The Sahel Is Getting Wetter, But Will It Last?

    The Sahel Is Getting Wetter, But Will It Last?

    New research gives a unifying explanation of the Sahel’s past, present and future climate patterns.

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • On Gulf Coast, Organizing Youth to Face Disaster

    On Gulf Coast, Organizing Youth to Face Disaster

    A new youth development and disaster recovery program, which grew out of research on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will debut in five Gulf Coast high schools. The project will bring together teens to create and share resources to help communities recover from disasters.

  • What We Learned From Hurricane Sandy

    What We Learned From Hurricane Sandy

    Earth Institute experts weigh in as the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy approaches.

  • Conservation & Environmental Sustainability – Fall 2013 Courses

    Conservation & Environmental Sustainability – Fall 2013 Courses

    The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University provides executive training in environmental sustainability through courses in science, economics and policy. We invite you to join our leading experts and practitioners, strengthen your understanding of human-ecosystem interactions, and become an effective environmental leader and decision-maker.

  • Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Tornadoes are rare at any one location, but out of anywhere in the United States, the central Oklahoma area has the greatest risk—and this day would prove no exception.

  • Tides Play a Role in Triggering Undersea Earthquakes

    Tides Play a Role in Triggering Undersea Earthquakes

    Can shifting tides trigger earthquakes? Research done by Maya Tolstoy, a geophysicist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, suggests they do.

  • Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    The impact of climate change on New York City could be even more severe than previously thought, putting more people at risk from increasingly frequent floods and heat waves, according to a report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change that was released Monday.

  • 400 ppm World, Part 2: Rising Seas Come with Rising CO2

    400 ppm World, Part 2: Rising Seas Come with Rising CO2

    Every indication is that thermal expansion will not dominate rates of sea-level rise in the future. As Earth’s climate marches toward equilibration with present-day CO2 levels, the climate will continue to warm. And this warming threatens the stability of a potentially much, much larger source for sea-level rise — the world’s remaining ice sheets.

  • The Microgrid Solution

    The Microgrid Solution

    Last October, Superstorm Sandy provoked widespread frustration and fear after it left more than 7.5 million people in the New York Metro area without power. In the hardest hit areas, outages lasted two weeks or more. These failures led many observers to wonder if America’s aging electrical grid was up to dealing with emerging climate…

  • The Sahel Is Getting Wetter, But Will It Last?

    The Sahel Is Getting Wetter, But Will It Last?

    New research gives a unifying explanation of the Sahel’s past, present and future climate patterns.