State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Poverty / Development20

  • Map Your Food

    Map Your Food

    Where does London get its fruit? Where are the “food swamps” in Los Angeles? Where do tomatoes from Spain wind up? Where are the composters in New York City? For lovers of geography, and of the sociology of food, “Food: an atlas” offers lots of informative and curious distraction.

  • The Rebuild by Design Challenge

    The Rebuild by Design Challenge

    When Hurricane Sandy hit last October, the vulnerabilities of the New York/New Jersey region to extreme weather were made all too clear. The Rebuild by Design challenge was launched to find the most innovative ways to make the region more resilient and sustainable.

  • GlaxoSmithKline Supports African Health Workers Campaign

    GlaxoSmithKline Supports African Health Workers Campaign

    The Earth Institute and its corporate partner, global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline are embarking on a new project to broadly expand the reach of healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa. In collaboration with the One Million Community Health Workers Campaign, the new project will develop an online information dashboard that will help streamline community health worker operations…

  • Losing Leaf Peepers: the Effect of Climate Change on Fall Color

    Losing Leaf Peepers: the Effect of Climate Change on Fall Color

    The spectacular colors of fall foliage draw throngs of tourists to the Eastern U.S. each year. However, new research from The Chinese Academy of Sciences suggests that climate change may shift the timing of this seasonal event to the detriment of travelers and locals alike.

  • Myanmar: a New Frontier for Sustainable Development

    Myanmar: a New Frontier for Sustainable Development

    The Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development is building a sustainable development program to provide policy support for the government of Myanmar, local NGOs and the donor community, accelerating growth that is both socially inclusive, sustainable and mindful of climate risks and opportunities. This video explains the project.

  • Shedding Light on Rural Africa: A New Partnership

    Shedding Light on Rural Africa: A New Partnership

    In partnership with the Italian energy company Eni, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network will evaluate potential pathways for increasing access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa, furthering its goals of promoting sustainable development solutions globally.

  • Postdoc Crosses Disciplines to Put Theory to Practice

    Postdoc Crosses Disciplines to Put Theory to Practice

    The Earth Institute postdoc has provided me with a strong foundation to continue to initiate and develop these sorts of collaborations, has helped me learn how my own research can benefit from being challenged by and contextualized in another field, and has taught me how much fun it can be to share the same sort…

  • Resource Consumption — the Ultimate Bubble?

    Resource Consumption — the Ultimate Bubble?

    “Basically, the instinct of civilizations in the past has been to run off a cliff. This time it’s different. We have one global civilization, so we have to be very careful not to run off a cliff.”

  • What Comes After 2015? The Next Set of Goals

    What Comes After 2015? The Next Set of Goals

    “The gains in fighting poverty, and indeed generations of economic gains, are at serious threat of reversal unless deep structural crises of rising social inequality and rapid environmental degradation are finally addressed.”

Columbia Climate School Giving Day on October 28, 2026, featuring students and renewable energy imagery

October 28, 2026 is Columbia Giving Day! Your gift to Columbia Climate School helps advance interdisciplinary research, educate the next generation of leaders, and transform bold ideas into real-world solutions for climate, Earth, and society.

  • Map Your Food

    Map Your Food

    Where does London get its fruit? Where are the “food swamps” in Los Angeles? Where do tomatoes from Spain wind up? Where are the composters in New York City? For lovers of geography, and of the sociology of food, “Food: an atlas” offers lots of informative and curious distraction.

  • The Rebuild by Design Challenge

    The Rebuild by Design Challenge

    When Hurricane Sandy hit last October, the vulnerabilities of the New York/New Jersey region to extreme weather were made all too clear. The Rebuild by Design challenge was launched to find the most innovative ways to make the region more resilient and sustainable.

  • GlaxoSmithKline Supports African Health Workers Campaign

    GlaxoSmithKline Supports African Health Workers Campaign

    The Earth Institute and its corporate partner, global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline are embarking on a new project to broadly expand the reach of healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa. In collaboration with the One Million Community Health Workers Campaign, the new project will develop an online information dashboard that will help streamline community health worker operations…

  • Losing Leaf Peepers: the Effect of Climate Change on Fall Color

    Losing Leaf Peepers: the Effect of Climate Change on Fall Color

    The spectacular colors of fall foliage draw throngs of tourists to the Eastern U.S. each year. However, new research from The Chinese Academy of Sciences suggests that climate change may shift the timing of this seasonal event to the detriment of travelers and locals alike.

  • Myanmar: a New Frontier for Sustainable Development

    Myanmar: a New Frontier for Sustainable Development

    The Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development is building a sustainable development program to provide policy support for the government of Myanmar, local NGOs and the donor community, accelerating growth that is both socially inclusive, sustainable and mindful of climate risks and opportunities. This video explains the project.

  • Shedding Light on Rural Africa: A New Partnership

    Shedding Light on Rural Africa: A New Partnership

    In partnership with the Italian energy company Eni, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network will evaluate potential pathways for increasing access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa, furthering its goals of promoting sustainable development solutions globally.

  • Postdoc Crosses Disciplines to Put Theory to Practice

    Postdoc Crosses Disciplines to Put Theory to Practice

    The Earth Institute postdoc has provided me with a strong foundation to continue to initiate and develop these sorts of collaborations, has helped me learn how my own research can benefit from being challenged by and contextualized in another field, and has taught me how much fun it can be to share the same sort…

  • Resource Consumption — the Ultimate Bubble?

    Resource Consumption — the Ultimate Bubble?

    “Basically, the instinct of civilizations in the past has been to run off a cliff. This time it’s different. We have one global civilization, so we have to be very careful not to run off a cliff.”

  • What Comes After 2015? The Next Set of Goals

    What Comes After 2015? The Next Set of Goals

    “The gains in fighting poverty, and indeed generations of economic gains, are at serious threat of reversal unless deep structural crises of rising social inequality and rapid environmental degradation are finally addressed.”