State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Urbanization19

  • Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    The impact of climate change on New York City could be even more severe than previously thought, putting more people at risk from increasingly frequent floods and heat waves, according to a report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change that was released Monday.

  • Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads data are critical to planning and development of rural transportation in developing countries, where better transportation systems can help improve livelihoods.

  • Students Work on Net Zero Energy to Adaptation Planning Projects

    By Noah Morgenstein This past May, seniors in the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development delivered their final presentations to fellow students and faculty at Columbia University. The workshop is a required course for students in the Sustainable Development major or special concentration. Unlike traditional courses, the workshop requires students to work collaboratively on a client project…

  • A Sustainable Strategy to Deal with Urban Poverty

    A Sustainable Strategy to Deal with Urban Poverty

    When architect Fernando Arias first arrived in Kumasi, Ghana last year, he saw unpaved roads, trash burning, garbage everywhere, and shoeless children running all around. He knew he needed to act on their behalf.

  • Students Tour Via Verde, New York’s Most Sustainable Urban Housing in the Bronx

    By Noah Morgenstein This May, students in the Master of Science in Sustainability Management and the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development toured Via Verde, one of New York’s greenest housing complexes. From the photovoltaic solar panels to the rooftop gardens and water reclamation system, Via Verde embodies many of the practical approaches to sustainable development that…

  • Certificate Student Builds Green Roofs

    Certificate Student Builds Green Roofs

    Eric Dalski, a student in the Earth Institute Executive Education Certificate Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability is building vegetative layers grown on a rooftop. Learn more about his perspectives on the Certificate Program.

  • Discussing Climate, Cities and Food

    Discussing Climate, Cities and Food

    Last week, the Earth Institute and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society hosted a discussion on cities, food and climate. What were people saying? Find out in this Storify recap of reactions from across Twitter!

  • A Road Map Toward Better Understanding of Global Environmental Change

    A Road Map Toward Better Understanding of Global Environmental Change

    The Social Process Diagram published in 1992 was an attempt to map out the key systems and interactions among systems that were seen as underpinning the human drivers of global environmental change.

  • Extraordinary Support for Sustainable Development

    Extraordinary Support for Sustainable Development

    Visit the interactive digital Earth Institute 2012 Annual Donor Report to see some of the remarkable projects, initiatives and achievements that have been made possible through the support and advocacy of donors, students, faculty and staff in fiscal year 2012.

Banner: Climate Week NYC 2025, September 21-28, 2025
  • Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    Climate Effects on NYC May Move Faster Than Previously Forecast

    The impact of climate change on New York City could be even more severe than previously thought, putting more people at risk from increasingly frequent floods and heat waves, according to a report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change that was released Monday.

  • Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads data are critical to planning and development of rural transportation in developing countries, where better transportation systems can help improve livelihoods.

  • Students Work on Net Zero Energy to Adaptation Planning Projects

    By Noah Morgenstein This past May, seniors in the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development delivered their final presentations to fellow students and faculty at Columbia University. The workshop is a required course for students in the Sustainable Development major or special concentration. Unlike traditional courses, the workshop requires students to work collaboratively on a client project…

  • A Sustainable Strategy to Deal with Urban Poverty

    A Sustainable Strategy to Deal with Urban Poverty

    When architect Fernando Arias first arrived in Kumasi, Ghana last year, he saw unpaved roads, trash burning, garbage everywhere, and shoeless children running all around. He knew he needed to act on their behalf.

  • Students Tour Via Verde, New York’s Most Sustainable Urban Housing in the Bronx

    By Noah Morgenstein This May, students in the Master of Science in Sustainability Management and the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development toured Via Verde, one of New York’s greenest housing complexes. From the photovoltaic solar panels to the rooftop gardens and water reclamation system, Via Verde embodies many of the practical approaches to sustainable development that…

  • Certificate Student Builds Green Roofs

    Certificate Student Builds Green Roofs

    Eric Dalski, a student in the Earth Institute Executive Education Certificate Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability is building vegetative layers grown on a rooftop. Learn more about his perspectives on the Certificate Program.

  • Discussing Climate, Cities and Food

    Discussing Climate, Cities and Food

    Last week, the Earth Institute and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society hosted a discussion on cities, food and climate. What were people saying? Find out in this Storify recap of reactions from across Twitter!

  • A Road Map Toward Better Understanding of Global Environmental Change

    A Road Map Toward Better Understanding of Global Environmental Change

    The Social Process Diagram published in 1992 was an attempt to map out the key systems and interactions among systems that were seen as underpinning the human drivers of global environmental change.

  • Extraordinary Support for Sustainable Development

    Extraordinary Support for Sustainable Development

    Visit the interactive digital Earth Institute 2012 Annual Donor Report to see some of the remarkable projects, initiatives and achievements that have been made possible through the support and advocacy of donors, students, faculty and staff in fiscal year 2012.