State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Poverty / Development41

  • Useless Condoms and the Trap of HIV-sensitization

    Useless Condoms and the Trap of HIV-sensitization

    In Ruhiira, Uganda, one of 14 clusters of Millennium Villages across sub-Saharan Africa, combating HIV, including Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT), through sensitization campaigns, condoms, and antiretrovirals (ARVs) is only half the battle. Addressing the other half—a deeply ingrained culture of female disempowerment— is an unavoidable challenge, which is dangerously neglected. The victimization of females…

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #2

    There’s a LOT more today. Stick  with us while we continue to update. TV and radio media at bottom of the page. By Jeffrey Sachs Financial Times – Sep 21, 2010 Pool resources and reinvent global aid Independent – Sep 19, 2010 Professor Jeffrey Sachs: It’s not a question of capacity, it’s a matter of…

  • New Private Funds to Support Millennium Development Goals

    Today, two of the world’s leading companies announce grants and technical support totaling more than $1,000,000 aimed at ending global poverty by 2015. Nestlé and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development each pledged support for the Earth Institute’s work through the Millennium Villages project (MVP) as world leaders gather at the Millennium Development Goals summit…

  • The Challenge of the Half-Acre Plot

    The Challenge of the Half-Acre Plot

    Ask most who have worked in this region, “what characterizes small holder farming in sub-Saharan Africa ?”, and the answer, which sadly, has remained unchanged for the past ten years, will go something like this: mono-cropping, reuse of seeds season after season, no fertilizer, and ever diminishing land holding sizes. Add to that the fluctuations…

  • MCI’s MDG Heroes Series: Kumasi Metropolitan Health Director Reduces Maternal Mortality

    MCI’s MDG Heroes Series: Kumasi Metropolitan Health Director Reduces Maternal Mortality

    In the Millennium City of Kumasi, Ghana, the Maternal Mortality Ratio was on the rise until 2009. But a sustained and dedicated effort on the part of the Kumasi Metropolitan Health Directorate and its director, Dr. Kwasi Yeboah-Awudzi, has resulted in dramatically reduced maternal deaths over the last 18 months. Dr. Yeboah-Awudzi’s direction included upgrading…

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #1

    Here’s a list of some of the media that’s been mustered up for MDG week at the UN. I’ll update as the week goes on. International Herald Tribune: By Jeffrey D Sachs Millennium Goals, Five Years to Go. New York Times–Sept 19, 2010 UN Poverty Goals Face Accountability Questions BBC Radio and TV–Sept 15, 2010…

  • Millennium Goals, Five Years to Go

    Millennium Goals, Five Years to Go

    As 140 heads of state and government gather Monday at the United Nations for the Millennium Development Goals summit, they and the public will ask what has come out of this decade-long effort. The answer will surprise them …

  • Promises, Promises: The Clock is Ticking in Africa’s Cities

    Promises, Promises: The Clock is Ticking in Africa’s Cities

    Back in the flush days of 2005, a confident, wealthy G8 promised sub-Saharan Africa $25 billion more per year to help the region achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the target date of 2015, then 10 years hence.

  • Drylands of Africa Pose Unique Challenge to Acheiving MDGs

    Drylands of Africa Pose Unique Challenge to Acheiving MDGs

    Dryland regions make up roughly 43% of the earth’s surface. In Africa alone, it’s over 60%, but despite this, decision-makers have generally neglected development of these regions. One of the main reasons is that drylands are assumed to be wastelands, with little potential, and in need of constant supplies of food aid. Contrary to this…

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

  • Useless Condoms and the Trap of HIV-sensitization

    Useless Condoms and the Trap of HIV-sensitization

    In Ruhiira, Uganda, one of 14 clusters of Millennium Villages across sub-Saharan Africa, combating HIV, including Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT), through sensitization campaigns, condoms, and antiretrovirals (ARVs) is only half the battle. Addressing the other half—a deeply ingrained culture of female disempowerment— is an unavoidable challenge, which is dangerously neglected. The victimization of females…

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #2

    There’s a LOT more today. Stick  with us while we continue to update. TV and radio media at bottom of the page. By Jeffrey Sachs Financial Times – Sep 21, 2010 Pool resources and reinvent global aid Independent – Sep 19, 2010 Professor Jeffrey Sachs: It’s not a question of capacity, it’s a matter of…

  • New Private Funds to Support Millennium Development Goals

    Today, two of the world’s leading companies announce grants and technical support totaling more than $1,000,000 aimed at ending global poverty by 2015. Nestlé and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development each pledged support for the Earth Institute’s work through the Millennium Villages project (MVP) as world leaders gather at the Millennium Development Goals summit…

  • The Challenge of the Half-Acre Plot

    The Challenge of the Half-Acre Plot

    Ask most who have worked in this region, “what characterizes small holder farming in sub-Saharan Africa ?”, and the answer, which sadly, has remained unchanged for the past ten years, will go something like this: mono-cropping, reuse of seeds season after season, no fertilizer, and ever diminishing land holding sizes. Add to that the fluctuations…

  • MCI’s MDG Heroes Series: Kumasi Metropolitan Health Director Reduces Maternal Mortality

    MCI’s MDG Heroes Series: Kumasi Metropolitan Health Director Reduces Maternal Mortality

    In the Millennium City of Kumasi, Ghana, the Maternal Mortality Ratio was on the rise until 2009. But a sustained and dedicated effort on the part of the Kumasi Metropolitan Health Directorate and its director, Dr. Kwasi Yeboah-Awudzi, has resulted in dramatically reduced maternal deaths over the last 18 months. Dr. Yeboah-Awudzi’s direction included upgrading…

  • MDG Summit Media Rundown #1

    Here’s a list of some of the media that’s been mustered up for MDG week at the UN. I’ll update as the week goes on. International Herald Tribune: By Jeffrey D Sachs Millennium Goals, Five Years to Go. New York Times–Sept 19, 2010 UN Poverty Goals Face Accountability Questions BBC Radio and TV–Sept 15, 2010…

  • Millennium Goals, Five Years to Go

    Millennium Goals, Five Years to Go

    As 140 heads of state and government gather Monday at the United Nations for the Millennium Development Goals summit, they and the public will ask what has come out of this decade-long effort. The answer will surprise them …

  • Promises, Promises: The Clock is Ticking in Africa’s Cities

    Promises, Promises: The Clock is Ticking in Africa’s Cities

    Back in the flush days of 2005, a confident, wealthy G8 promised sub-Saharan Africa $25 billion more per year to help the region achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the target date of 2015, then 10 years hence.

  • Drylands of Africa Pose Unique Challenge to Acheiving MDGs

    Drylands of Africa Pose Unique Challenge to Acheiving MDGs

    Dryland regions make up roughly 43% of the earth’s surface. In Africa alone, it’s over 60%, but despite this, decision-makers have generally neglected development of these regions. One of the main reasons is that drylands are assumed to be wastelands, with little potential, and in need of constant supplies of food aid. Contrary to this…