State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Urbanization15

  • Garbage: The Back End of the Renewable Economy

    Many cities around the world are implementing innovative measures to deal with waste, and are increasingly incorporating waste management into sustainability plans. Some cities are setting positive examples through aggressive recycling and zero waste programs.

  • Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Quiet Green Revolution

    In many respects, Cuomo’s approach to sustainability mirrors the approach taken by Mike Bloomberg when he was New York City’s mayor. Sustainability is viewed as a tool of economic development and environmental goals are integrated into the goals of economic development.

  • Cities Face Up to the Climate Challenge

    Cities Face Up to the Climate Challenge

    Millions of people living in cities around the world already feel the impacts of climate change: Heat waves, flooded streets, landslides and storms. All of these affect important infrastructure such as transportation and water supplies, ports and commerce, public health and people’s daily lives. And it is cities that are at the forefront of the…

  • The Changing Face of Air Quality

    The Changing Face of Air Quality

    Looking at regional differences in PM2.5 concentrations gives us a sense of the changing face of air quality throughout the world.

  • Map & App Help People Track Transit in Nairobi

    Map & App Help People Track Transit in Nairobi

    Commuters and others traveling in and around Nairobi often rely on an unofficial network of minibuses and minivans, called matatus, that have no centrally controlled schedules, fares or route plans. But a new application developed for use on cellphones with Google Maps can now help them find their way.

  • A Sustainable City Would Continue to Keep Cars Out of Times Square

    A Sustainable City Would Continue to Keep Cars Out of Times Square

    The trade-off between regulating public behavior and free speech can be difficult, but must be taken on if we are to have public space in sustainable cities. Since we need more of these public spaces rather than fewer spaces, the behavior in Times Square is a challenge of governance that must be taken on by…

  • The Big City, Subdivided for Sustainability

    The Big City, Subdivided for Sustainability

    Two-thirds of people on the planet will live in cities by 2050. But few cities are prepared for this population boom. An upcoming research project will explore new, localized models for urban infrastructure to make cities cleaner, healthier and more enjoyable places to live.

  • Removing Toxic Electronics From NYC’s Waste

    We need to develop the public policies and standard operating procedures to make certain that discarded electronics are either recycled or carefully discarded. This requires that we abandon the idea that “out of sight is out of mind.”

  • Anthropocene and Its Victims: Migration as Failure or Adaptive Strategy?

    Anthropocene and Its Victims: Migration as Failure or Adaptive Strategy?

    Gemenne argues that climate change is a form of political persecution, that victims of the anthropocene are also victims of political persecution, thus, we should reinstate the term “climate refugee.”

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.

  • Garbage: The Back End of the Renewable Economy

    Many cities around the world are implementing innovative measures to deal with waste, and are increasingly incorporating waste management into sustainability plans. Some cities are setting positive examples through aggressive recycling and zero waste programs.

  • Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Quiet Green Revolution

    In many respects, Cuomo’s approach to sustainability mirrors the approach taken by Mike Bloomberg when he was New York City’s mayor. Sustainability is viewed as a tool of economic development and environmental goals are integrated into the goals of economic development.

  • Cities Face Up to the Climate Challenge

    Cities Face Up to the Climate Challenge

    Millions of people living in cities around the world already feel the impacts of climate change: Heat waves, flooded streets, landslides and storms. All of these affect important infrastructure such as transportation and water supplies, ports and commerce, public health and people’s daily lives. And it is cities that are at the forefront of the…

  • The Changing Face of Air Quality

    The Changing Face of Air Quality

    Looking at regional differences in PM2.5 concentrations gives us a sense of the changing face of air quality throughout the world.

  • Map & App Help People Track Transit in Nairobi

    Map & App Help People Track Transit in Nairobi

    Commuters and others traveling in and around Nairobi often rely on an unofficial network of minibuses and minivans, called matatus, that have no centrally controlled schedules, fares or route plans. But a new application developed for use on cellphones with Google Maps can now help them find their way.

  • A Sustainable City Would Continue to Keep Cars Out of Times Square

    A Sustainable City Would Continue to Keep Cars Out of Times Square

    The trade-off between regulating public behavior and free speech can be difficult, but must be taken on if we are to have public space in sustainable cities. Since we need more of these public spaces rather than fewer spaces, the behavior in Times Square is a challenge of governance that must be taken on by…

  • The Big City, Subdivided for Sustainability

    The Big City, Subdivided for Sustainability

    Two-thirds of people on the planet will live in cities by 2050. But few cities are prepared for this population boom. An upcoming research project will explore new, localized models for urban infrastructure to make cities cleaner, healthier and more enjoyable places to live.

  • Removing Toxic Electronics From NYC’s Waste

    We need to develop the public policies and standard operating procedures to make certain that discarded electronics are either recycled or carefully discarded. This requires that we abandon the idea that “out of sight is out of mind.”

  • Anthropocene and Its Victims: Migration as Failure or Adaptive Strategy?

    Anthropocene and Its Victims: Migration as Failure or Adaptive Strategy?

    Gemenne argues that climate change is a form of political persecution, that victims of the anthropocene are also victims of political persecution, thus, we should reinstate the term “climate refugee.”