State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Sustainability108

  • ‘Green’ Geochemistry Building Wins Awards

    Leading Climate Studies, Sustainably

  • Investor’s Guide Aims to Open West African Nation

    São Tomé and Principe Offers Agriculture, Tourism, Oil

  • Tides Foundation Awards $1.9 million Matching Challenge Gift to the Earth Institute to Promote Sustainable Urban Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

    In a landmark contribution to the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the Tides Foundation has awarded MCI with a challenge gift of up to $1.9 million. The gift will support the project’s work to assist selected mid-sized cities across sub-Saharan Africa to promote sustainable development and achieve the Millennium…

  • Columbia University and Vale Launch Center on Sustainable International Investment

    April 29, 2008 (NEW YORK and RIO DE JANEIRO) – Columbia University announces the establishment of the Vale-Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment. The first of its kind, the center will promote learning, teaching, policy-oriented research and practical work within the foreign direct investment (FDI) area, paying special attention to the sustainable development dimension of…

  • Earth Institute to Advise New York City on Sustainability, Mayor Announces

    New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced an agreement with The Earth Institute at Columbia University to work with the new Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability as scientific advisors. The Earth Institute will provide pro bono academic and scientific expertise to the Office and participate in Advisory Board discussions. The scholars of the…

  • Report #4: Lessons Learned, Locally

    By Justin Nobel, Columbia University Earth and Environmental Sciences Journalism Student My time here is coming to an end and I still can’t determine if development will prove sustainable for Sauri’s bird population. The goal of the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) is to help Sauri, and several other villages in sub-Saharan Africa, develop economically. The…

  • Earth Institute, Recycling Company Partnership Offers Win-Win Solutions

    The Earth Engineering Center (EEC) at the Earth Institute at Columbia University has helped to launch a company that uses an innovative rewards system to increase household recycling. The company, RecycleBank, operates under the belief that recycling rates go up when people are paid to recycle. With this new program, residents use a recycling bin…

  • Emerging Scientists Set Sights on Fixing World’s Problems

    In 2002, Christian Webersik spent months on and off in war-torn Somalia, conducting interviews with both the elite and the layperson for his research on the link between armed conflict and natural resources. “You can see how different political sides tried to monopolize natural resources to finance their militia,” says Webersik. His work suggests it…

  • How an Ecologist Moved to the Center of Sustainable Development

    Economists, physicians and a range of social scientists have long found an easy place at the table when it comes to promoting sustainable development in the poorest areas of the world. But an agroecologist? “Agroecologists always feel a little outcast when working on development issues,” says Fabrice De Clerck, an Earth Institute Fellow with the…

Earth Month Graphic Collage: "Our Power, Our Planet - April 2025"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • ‘Green’ Geochemistry Building Wins Awards

    Leading Climate Studies, Sustainably

  • Investor’s Guide Aims to Open West African Nation

    São Tomé and Principe Offers Agriculture, Tourism, Oil

  • Tides Foundation Awards $1.9 million Matching Challenge Gift to the Earth Institute to Promote Sustainable Urban Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

    In a landmark contribution to the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the Tides Foundation has awarded MCI with a challenge gift of up to $1.9 million. The gift will support the project’s work to assist selected mid-sized cities across sub-Saharan Africa to promote sustainable development and achieve the Millennium…

  • Columbia University and Vale Launch Center on Sustainable International Investment

    April 29, 2008 (NEW YORK and RIO DE JANEIRO) – Columbia University announces the establishment of the Vale-Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment. The first of its kind, the center will promote learning, teaching, policy-oriented research and practical work within the foreign direct investment (FDI) area, paying special attention to the sustainable development dimension of…

  • Earth Institute to Advise New York City on Sustainability, Mayor Announces

    New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced an agreement with The Earth Institute at Columbia University to work with the new Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability as scientific advisors. The Earth Institute will provide pro bono academic and scientific expertise to the Office and participate in Advisory Board discussions. The scholars of the…

  • Report #4: Lessons Learned, Locally

    By Justin Nobel, Columbia University Earth and Environmental Sciences Journalism Student My time here is coming to an end and I still can’t determine if development will prove sustainable for Sauri’s bird population. The goal of the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) is to help Sauri, and several other villages in sub-Saharan Africa, develop economically. The…

  • Earth Institute, Recycling Company Partnership Offers Win-Win Solutions

    The Earth Engineering Center (EEC) at the Earth Institute at Columbia University has helped to launch a company that uses an innovative rewards system to increase household recycling. The company, RecycleBank, operates under the belief that recycling rates go up when people are paid to recycle. With this new program, residents use a recycling bin…

  • Emerging Scientists Set Sights on Fixing World’s Problems

    In 2002, Christian Webersik spent months on and off in war-torn Somalia, conducting interviews with both the elite and the layperson for his research on the link between armed conflict and natural resources. “You can see how different political sides tried to monopolize natural resources to finance their militia,” says Webersik. His work suggests it…

  • How an Ecologist Moved to the Center of Sustainable Development

    Economists, physicians and a range of social scientists have long found an easy place at the table when it comes to promoting sustainable development in the poorest areas of the world. But an agroecologist? “Agroecologists always feel a little outcast when working on development issues,” says Fabrice De Clerck, an Earth Institute Fellow with the…