State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Sustainability81

  • Women, Peace and Security Program Team Travels to Mozambique

    Women, Peace and Security Program Team Travels to Mozambique

    Researchers from the Women, Peace and Security team believe that by learning about women’s everyday peace and security in the country, as well as women’s involvement in peacebuilding processes in Mozambique, the program can learn valuable lessons that will inform future research and educational programming.

  • In China, Making a Fashion Statement

    In China, Making a Fashion Statement

    “It costs 20,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cotton, which is just enough to produce a pair of jeans,” observed Guo—a stark measure of the importance of incorporating sustainability into fashion enterprises.

  • With a Little Software Magic, Students Create Pollution Solutions

    With a Little Software Magic, Students Create Pollution Solutions

    Undergraduate sustainability students explored innovative software and 3D printing to create a set of possible solutions to help Singapore cope with a big problem: haze and air pollution drifting over the city state from burning forests in neighboring Indonesia.

  • Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management

    Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management

    “Trends are always nonlinear. Adoption accelerates because of policy and sometimes in spite of policy. Even if Washington has a different view, businesses and capital markets care about sustainability, and the movement will continue in spite of them.”

  • Our Economy Depends on Earth Observation and Scientific Research

    Our Economy Depends on Earth Observation and Scientific Research

    If we are to continue to grow our economy without destroying the planet’s basic systems that sustain human life, we need to learn a great deal more about our planet and the impact of human activities on natural systems.

  • Students Travel to Israel to Experience Current Impacts of Climate Change

    Students Travel to Israel to Experience Current Impacts of Climate Change

    Current MPA-ESP Student Tiara Cunningham writes about her experience traveling to Israel with SIPA’s Israel Environmental Delegation.

  • Colin Kelley: Food and Water Vulnerability in a Changing Climate

    Colin Kelley: Food and Water Vulnerability in a Changing Climate

    Colin Kelley, an associate research scientist with the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, studies regional climate in vulnerable areas like the Middle East in order to improve our ability to make forecasts, plan ahead and become more resilient to drought and other climate shifts.

  • How to Get Your Head Around the ‘Circular Economy’

    How to Get Your Head Around the ‘Circular Economy’

    Vincent Aurez, an economist and circular economy consultant for Ernst & Young’s Paris office, spoke about how companies have drawn on intelligent eco-design, and developed or identified new markets for their waste products, to improve profitability while reducing global footprint.

  • Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management

    Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management

    More and more companies and nonprofits have a chief sustainability officer and are beginning to incorporate sustainability concerns into routine management. The world is slowly starting the transition from today’s economy based on fossil fuels, destruction of ecosystems, and the one time use and disposal of finite resources, to an economy based on renewable resources…

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

  • Women, Peace and Security Program Team Travels to Mozambique

    Women, Peace and Security Program Team Travels to Mozambique

    Researchers from the Women, Peace and Security team believe that by learning about women’s everyday peace and security in the country, as well as women’s involvement in peacebuilding processes in Mozambique, the program can learn valuable lessons that will inform future research and educational programming.

  • In China, Making a Fashion Statement

    In China, Making a Fashion Statement

    “It costs 20,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cotton, which is just enough to produce a pair of jeans,” observed Guo—a stark measure of the importance of incorporating sustainability into fashion enterprises.

  • With a Little Software Magic, Students Create Pollution Solutions

    With a Little Software Magic, Students Create Pollution Solutions

    Undergraduate sustainability students explored innovative software and 3D printing to create a set of possible solutions to help Singapore cope with a big problem: haze and air pollution drifting over the city state from burning forests in neighboring Indonesia.

  • Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management

    Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management

    “Trends are always nonlinear. Adoption accelerates because of policy and sometimes in spite of policy. Even if Washington has a different view, businesses and capital markets care about sustainability, and the movement will continue in spite of them.”

  • Our Economy Depends on Earth Observation and Scientific Research

    Our Economy Depends on Earth Observation and Scientific Research

    If we are to continue to grow our economy without destroying the planet’s basic systems that sustain human life, we need to learn a great deal more about our planet and the impact of human activities on natural systems.

  • Students Travel to Israel to Experience Current Impacts of Climate Change

    Students Travel to Israel to Experience Current Impacts of Climate Change

    Current MPA-ESP Student Tiara Cunningham writes about her experience traveling to Israel with SIPA’s Israel Environmental Delegation.

  • Colin Kelley: Food and Water Vulnerability in a Changing Climate

    Colin Kelley: Food and Water Vulnerability in a Changing Climate

    Colin Kelley, an associate research scientist with the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, studies regional climate in vulnerable areas like the Middle East in order to improve our ability to make forecasts, plan ahead and become more resilient to drought and other climate shifts.

  • How to Get Your Head Around the ‘Circular Economy’

    How to Get Your Head Around the ‘Circular Economy’

    Vincent Aurez, an economist and circular economy consultant for Ernst & Young’s Paris office, spoke about how companies have drawn on intelligent eco-design, and developed or identified new markets for their waste products, to improve profitability while reducing global footprint.

  • Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management

    Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management

    More and more companies and nonprofits have a chief sustainability officer and are beginning to incorporate sustainability concerns into routine management. The world is slowly starting the transition from today’s economy based on fossil fuels, destruction of ecosystems, and the one time use and disposal of finite resources, to an economy based on renewable resources…