State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Poverty / Development45

  • The Poor Need Climate Solutions Now

    Two broad pieces must be part of any world climate agreement. The one you hear the most about so far is mitigation: cutting emissions of greenhouse gases. The other–perhaps more pressing–is adaptation: measures we must take to adjust agriculture, infrastructure and economies to changes already happening. We do not have to look to the distant…

  • WFP and Millennium Villages Unite to Cut Hunger, Malnutrition

    UNITED NATIONS – Highlighting the growing challenge of hunger and malnutrition and the urgent need for solutions and partnerships, the World Food Programme and the Millennium Villages project today announced plans to expand joint action to cut hunger and malnutrition across Africa. At a time when one in six people worldwide do not have enough…

  • Sachs at Haverford College on Global Economic Crisis

    A slot machine turning up three lemons is how Jeffrey Sachs described the global economic crisis at Haverford College last week.  “Three ‘uns’: It is unstable, unfair, and unsustainable,” he said. “It’s the life-and-death struggle of the poor, and the plight of the planet.” “You are the answers,” he told the audience. “This crisis is…

  • Arsenic in Bangladesh Water, Then and Now

    Back in the summer of 1997 while working for a small newspaper focusing on UN development issues, I traveled to Bangladesh to see how far this often overlooked country tucked away in a corner between India and China had fared since its independence 25 years ago. At the time the only stories which came out…

  • Everywhere a Hammer on a Nail

    When holding a hammer in your hand, every problem can look like a nail. Dambisa Moyo’s book Dead Aid gives fresh meaning to this old adage, applying the perspective of a top-tier investment banker to the plight of the poorest people in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Economist recently panned the book by likening it to caricature.…

  • Next G-20 Meeting is a Chance to Help Three Billion Living in Poverty

    The G-20 meeting in London, England, on April 2 will be watched by the entire world with urgency and with a yearning for hope, vision and programmatic clarity. The preparatory work is not adequate. The G-20 discussions do not move sufficiently beyond financial regulation. I would like to suggest the following main points for G-20…

  • Laptops and MTV in Rural Kenyan School

    Flashback for a second. Though it may seem like long time ago, it’s been a mere 2 months since Obama took the oath. A lot has changed since. On the evening of January 20, the President and the First Lady whirled through his new backyard stopping off at several different parties, one of which was…

  • Financier Bill Gross Selling More of His Celebrated Stamp Collection for Millennium Villages

    NEW YORK – Wall Street money manager, Bill Gross, will offer another portion of his extensive, international stamp collection in a public auction conservatively estimated to bring over $1.25 million. All proceeds from the sale of his British Empire stamps will be donated by Sue and Bill Gross to the Millennium Villages project at the…

  • Rare Stamps Auctioned for $1.6 million for Projects in Africa by PIMCO’s Bill Gross

    posted: June 18, 2008 NEW YORK, June 19 —Proceeds from the sale of a rare collection of Scandinavian stamps were donated in order to expand development projects in Africa that will reach more than a half million people. Bill Gross, one of the world’s most successful money managers, who has also made a name for…

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • The Poor Need Climate Solutions Now

    Two broad pieces must be part of any world climate agreement. The one you hear the most about so far is mitigation: cutting emissions of greenhouse gases. The other–perhaps more pressing–is adaptation: measures we must take to adjust agriculture, infrastructure and economies to changes already happening. We do not have to look to the distant…

  • WFP and Millennium Villages Unite to Cut Hunger, Malnutrition

    UNITED NATIONS – Highlighting the growing challenge of hunger and malnutrition and the urgent need for solutions and partnerships, the World Food Programme and the Millennium Villages project today announced plans to expand joint action to cut hunger and malnutrition across Africa. At a time when one in six people worldwide do not have enough…

  • Sachs at Haverford College on Global Economic Crisis

    A slot machine turning up three lemons is how Jeffrey Sachs described the global economic crisis at Haverford College last week.  “Three ‘uns’: It is unstable, unfair, and unsustainable,” he said. “It’s the life-and-death struggle of the poor, and the plight of the planet.” “You are the answers,” he told the audience. “This crisis is…

  • Arsenic in Bangladesh Water, Then and Now

    Back in the summer of 1997 while working for a small newspaper focusing on UN development issues, I traveled to Bangladesh to see how far this often overlooked country tucked away in a corner between India and China had fared since its independence 25 years ago. At the time the only stories which came out…

  • Everywhere a Hammer on a Nail

    When holding a hammer in your hand, every problem can look like a nail. Dambisa Moyo’s book Dead Aid gives fresh meaning to this old adage, applying the perspective of a top-tier investment banker to the plight of the poorest people in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Economist recently panned the book by likening it to caricature.…

  • Next G-20 Meeting is a Chance to Help Three Billion Living in Poverty

    The G-20 meeting in London, England, on April 2 will be watched by the entire world with urgency and with a yearning for hope, vision and programmatic clarity. The preparatory work is not adequate. The G-20 discussions do not move sufficiently beyond financial regulation. I would like to suggest the following main points for G-20…

  • Laptops and MTV in Rural Kenyan School

    Flashback for a second. Though it may seem like long time ago, it’s been a mere 2 months since Obama took the oath. A lot has changed since. On the evening of January 20, the President and the First Lady whirled through his new backyard stopping off at several different parties, one of which was…

  • Financier Bill Gross Selling More of His Celebrated Stamp Collection for Millennium Villages

    NEW YORK – Wall Street money manager, Bill Gross, will offer another portion of his extensive, international stamp collection in a public auction conservatively estimated to bring over $1.25 million. All proceeds from the sale of his British Empire stamps will be donated by Sue and Bill Gross to the Millennium Villages project at the…

  • Rare Stamps Auctioned for $1.6 million for Projects in Africa by PIMCO’s Bill Gross

    posted: June 18, 2008 NEW YORK, June 19 —Proceeds from the sale of a rare collection of Scandinavian stamps were donated in order to expand development projects in Africa that will reach more than a half million people. Bill Gross, one of the world’s most successful money managers, who has also made a name for…