State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Sustainability82

  • 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…

  • Student Profile: Iara Vicente – From the Amazon to the World

    Student Profile: Iara Vicente – From the Amazon to the World

    “This program provided me a much-needed balance between building public administration capacity, scientific proficiency and a deep understanding of ethical and political implications. It is a program that has a clear objective: to promote sustainability worldwide.”

  • The “Can’t-Do” Approach of the American Auto Industry

    The “Can’t-Do” Approach of the American Auto Industry

    Until President Trump’s election, auto manufacturers supported the ambitious emissions and fuel efficiency goals set by the Obama Administration. Now, with the chance to escape these requirements, they are lobbying to get rid of them.

  • An Ancient Tool Holds Promise for Modern Water Problems

    An Ancient Tool Holds Promise for Modern Water Problems

    The potential effectiveness of harvesting rainwater to bolster water supply and reduce potentially polluting runoff varies greatly from place to place, even within a particular city or neighborhood. Now researchers at the Columbia Water Center have developed a tool to assess the potential of rainwater harvesting throughout the United States.

  • Talking Sustainability Management: Insights from the Front Lines

    Talking Sustainability Management: Insights from the Front Lines

    On March 29, the Earth Institute and the M.S. in Sustainability Management program will host the event “Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management.” The four panelists discuss their work and offer advice for students entering the field.

  • Tell the World Your Columbia Sustainability Story

    Tell the World Your Columbia Sustainability Story

    Have a great Columbia sustainability story to tell? ColumbiaYOU is a story-sharing platform that celebrates the rich and diverse Columbia community—in other words, YOU. We’re inviting you—students, alumni, faculty and researchers—to share your sustainability story just in time for Earth Day, April 22.

  • Forest-Friendly Development Can Bolster Peace in Colombia, Paper Says

    Forest-Friendly Development Can Bolster Peace in Colombia, Paper Says

    As Colombia rebuilds following last year’s historic peace deal with Marxist FARC rebels, it has an opening to advance sustainable land development, a new study contends.

  • New Organizations and Networking Opportunities at 2017 All Ivy Fair

    New Organizations and Networking Opportunities at 2017 All Ivy Fair

    The All Ivy Environmental & Sustainable Development Career Fair has earned itself a reputation in the sustainability industry as being the premier place to recruit talented students from the Ivy League universities. This year, the fair attracted 80 employers—many of them attending for the first time—from across the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

  • A State and Local Strategy for Protecting the American Environment

    A State and Local Strategy for Protecting the American Environment

    While federal support for new technology and infrastructure would be helpful, there is another approach that can also be effective. We should focus on modernizing our state and local energy systems. By modernizing the energy system we can reduce the costs and environmental impact of our energy use.

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

  • 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…

  • Student Profile: Iara Vicente – From the Amazon to the World

    Student Profile: Iara Vicente – From the Amazon to the World

    “This program provided me a much-needed balance between building public administration capacity, scientific proficiency and a deep understanding of ethical and political implications. It is a program that has a clear objective: to promote sustainability worldwide.”

  • The “Can’t-Do” Approach of the American Auto Industry

    The “Can’t-Do” Approach of the American Auto Industry

    Until President Trump’s election, auto manufacturers supported the ambitious emissions and fuel efficiency goals set by the Obama Administration. Now, with the chance to escape these requirements, they are lobbying to get rid of them.

  • An Ancient Tool Holds Promise for Modern Water Problems

    An Ancient Tool Holds Promise for Modern Water Problems

    The potential effectiveness of harvesting rainwater to bolster water supply and reduce potentially polluting runoff varies greatly from place to place, even within a particular city or neighborhood. Now researchers at the Columbia Water Center have developed a tool to assess the potential of rainwater harvesting throughout the United States.

  • Talking Sustainability Management: Insights from the Front Lines

    Talking Sustainability Management: Insights from the Front Lines

    On March 29, the Earth Institute and the M.S. in Sustainability Management program will host the event “Transforming Organizations with Sustainability Management.” The four panelists discuss their work and offer advice for students entering the field.

  • Tell the World Your Columbia Sustainability Story

    Tell the World Your Columbia Sustainability Story

    Have a great Columbia sustainability story to tell? ColumbiaYOU is a story-sharing platform that celebrates the rich and diverse Columbia community—in other words, YOU. We’re inviting you—students, alumni, faculty and researchers—to share your sustainability story just in time for Earth Day, April 22.

  • Forest-Friendly Development Can Bolster Peace in Colombia, Paper Says

    Forest-Friendly Development Can Bolster Peace in Colombia, Paper Says

    As Colombia rebuilds following last year’s historic peace deal with Marxist FARC rebels, it has an opening to advance sustainable land development, a new study contends.

  • New Organizations and Networking Opportunities at 2017 All Ivy Fair

    New Organizations and Networking Opportunities at 2017 All Ivy Fair

    The All Ivy Environmental & Sustainable Development Career Fair has earned itself a reputation in the sustainability industry as being the premier place to recruit talented students from the Ivy League universities. This year, the fair attracted 80 employers—many of them attending for the first time—from across the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

  • A State and Local Strategy for Protecting the American Environment

    A State and Local Strategy for Protecting the American Environment

    While federal support for new technology and infrastructure would be helpful, there is another approach that can also be effective. We should focus on modernizing our state and local energy systems. By modernizing the energy system we can reduce the costs and environmental impact of our energy use.