State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Sustainability93

  • This Earth Day, Commute Another Way

    This Earth Day, Commute Another Way

    This Earth Day, April 22, 2016, New York City residents and commuters are encouraged to leave their car at home and use another means of travel as part of the city’s first year of Car-Free Day. Find out what Columbia University is doing in support of #CarFreeNYC.

  • Making Fish Farming More Sustainable

    Making Fish Farming More Sustainable

    Global per capita fish consumption has almost doubled in the last 50 years. And today, about half of all the seafood we eat is produced through fish farming, aquaculture. Can it be done sustainably?

  • Does Pollution Regulation Kill Jobs? Lessons for China from the U.S.

    Does Pollution Regulation Kill Jobs? Lessons for China from the U.S.

    The problem of air pollution in China continues to reach new heights. To combat the problem in any real way stringent regulation is needed. A new paper from Columbia University’s Earth Institute finds that this can be done without hurting job creation.

  • Moving the Global Economy Toward Sustainability

    Using something finite and dumping it into a hole in the ground is less efficient and more costly than a system build on photosynthesis, renewable resources, and reuse of finite resources. In other words, an organization managed according to the principles of sustainability should be able to outcompete the organization sticking to the old, polluting…

  • Zero Waste in San Francisco and New York: A Tale of Two Cities

    Each city is different, and New York’s pace, diversity, and size make comparisons to San Francisco difficult. Still, large-scale behavior changes can be achieved with leadership, strategy and creativity.

  • The Presidency and Sustainability

    The president’s accomplishments are particularly noteworthy given the toxic political environment he must operate within. Flint, Michigan’s water crisis provides an example of how partisan politics is dominating federal environmental policy.

  • Alumni Recruit Students for Sustainability Jobs

    Alumni Recruit Students for Sustainability Jobs

    Earth Institute alumni, who were on the job market only one or two years ago themselves, returned to the Columbia University campus in early March to recruit students for sustainability jobs.

  • The Technological World and the Risk of Nuclear Power

    The modern economy and our way of life depend on new and advancing technology. It especially depends on energy technology.

  • Slowly Moving to Protect the Environment

    In some cases we do not understand the impact of human actions on the planet and we need to do more observation and analysis to understand those impacts. In other cases we don’t really know how to repair the damage once it has been done.

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“

  • This Earth Day, Commute Another Way

    This Earth Day, Commute Another Way

    This Earth Day, April 22, 2016, New York City residents and commuters are encouraged to leave their car at home and use another means of travel as part of the city’s first year of Car-Free Day. Find out what Columbia University is doing in support of #CarFreeNYC.

  • Making Fish Farming More Sustainable

    Making Fish Farming More Sustainable

    Global per capita fish consumption has almost doubled in the last 50 years. And today, about half of all the seafood we eat is produced through fish farming, aquaculture. Can it be done sustainably?

  • Does Pollution Regulation Kill Jobs? Lessons for China from the U.S.

    Does Pollution Regulation Kill Jobs? Lessons for China from the U.S.

    The problem of air pollution in China continues to reach new heights. To combat the problem in any real way stringent regulation is needed. A new paper from Columbia University’s Earth Institute finds that this can be done without hurting job creation.

  • Moving the Global Economy Toward Sustainability

    Using something finite and dumping it into a hole in the ground is less efficient and more costly than a system build on photosynthesis, renewable resources, and reuse of finite resources. In other words, an organization managed according to the principles of sustainability should be able to outcompete the organization sticking to the old, polluting…

  • Zero Waste in San Francisco and New York: A Tale of Two Cities

    Each city is different, and New York’s pace, diversity, and size make comparisons to San Francisco difficult. Still, large-scale behavior changes can be achieved with leadership, strategy and creativity.

  • The Presidency and Sustainability

    The president’s accomplishments are particularly noteworthy given the toxic political environment he must operate within. Flint, Michigan’s water crisis provides an example of how partisan politics is dominating federal environmental policy.

  • Alumni Recruit Students for Sustainability Jobs

    Alumni Recruit Students for Sustainability Jobs

    Earth Institute alumni, who were on the job market only one or two years ago themselves, returned to the Columbia University campus in early March to recruit students for sustainability jobs.

  • The Technological World and the Risk of Nuclear Power

    The modern economy and our way of life depend on new and advancing technology. It especially depends on energy technology.

  • Slowly Moving to Protect the Environment

    In some cases we do not understand the impact of human actions on the planet and we need to do more observation and analysis to understand those impacts. In other cases we don’t really know how to repair the damage once it has been done.