State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Urbanization20

  • 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.

  • Aquanauts Take on New York Water Issues

    Aquanauts Take on New York Water Issues

    Working with engineering PhD candidate Rob Elliott, we imagined a green roof and blue roof system that would serve as a space for environmental education and student wellness, the culmination of a semester spent examining and taking action on stormwater management issues in New York City.

  • Smaller Colorado River Projected for Coming Decades, Study Says

    Smaller Colorado River Projected for Coming Decades, Study Says

    Some 40 million people depend on the Colorado River Basin for water but warmer weather from rising greenhouse gas levels and a growing population may signal water shortages ahead.

  • Using Spatial Analysis to Help Manage Conflict

    Using Spatial Analysis to Help Manage Conflict

    Peri-urban areas are particularly vulnerable to land use conflicts due to their geographic and socio-economic characteristics: They are transitional zones in transforming societies, where various economic activities associated with each urban setting try to co-exist. In this context, peri-urban agriculture plays a key role for the multiplicity and diversity of stakeholders providing environmental and economic…

  • As Amazon Urbanizes, Rural Fires Burn Unchecked

    Fewer Farmers Plus More Roads and Drought Bring Increased Risk

  • Managing Hazard Risk and Weather Extremes at AGU

    Managing Hazard Risk and Weather Extremes at AGU

    Researchers from the Earth Institute’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions will present their work at the 2012 American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco this week. Psychology doctoral candidate Katherine Thompson will present a poster entitled “The Psychology of Hazard Risk Perception”; and visiting research scholar Diana Reckien will present a poster entitled “Realities…

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

  • 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.

  • Aquanauts Take on New York Water Issues

    Aquanauts Take on New York Water Issues

    Working with engineering PhD candidate Rob Elliott, we imagined a green roof and blue roof system that would serve as a space for environmental education and student wellness, the culmination of a semester spent examining and taking action on stormwater management issues in New York City.

  • Smaller Colorado River Projected for Coming Decades, Study Says

    Smaller Colorado River Projected for Coming Decades, Study Says

    Some 40 million people depend on the Colorado River Basin for water but warmer weather from rising greenhouse gas levels and a growing population may signal water shortages ahead.

  • Using Spatial Analysis to Help Manage Conflict

    Using Spatial Analysis to Help Manage Conflict

    Peri-urban areas are particularly vulnerable to land use conflicts due to their geographic and socio-economic characteristics: They are transitional zones in transforming societies, where various economic activities associated with each urban setting try to co-exist. In this context, peri-urban agriculture plays a key role for the multiplicity and diversity of stakeholders providing environmental and economic…

  • As Amazon Urbanizes, Rural Fires Burn Unchecked

    Fewer Farmers Plus More Roads and Drought Bring Increased Risk

  • Managing Hazard Risk and Weather Extremes at AGU

    Managing Hazard Risk and Weather Extremes at AGU

    Researchers from the Earth Institute’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions will present their work at the 2012 American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco this week. Psychology doctoral candidate Katherine Thompson will present a poster entitled “The Psychology of Hazard Risk Perception”; and visiting research scholar Diana Reckien will present a poster entitled “Realities…