State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Urbanization26

  • Where Poverty is Extreme, but Where Girls’ Clubs Have Taught Participants the World Has Possibility

    Where Poverty is Extreme, but Where Girls’ Clubs Have Taught Participants the World Has Possibility

    The following is a guest blog, authored by Pam Allyn, Executive Director and Founder of LitWorld, a global organization advocating for children’s rights as readers, writers and learners, and an MCI partner. This account is based on Pam’s travels to the Millennium City of Kisumu, Kenya, to spend time with four Girls’ Clubs, which foster…

  • New Water-Smart Communities Prepare For a Water Scarce Future

    New Water-Smart Communities Prepare For a Water Scarce Future

    A recent study by the Stockholm Environment Institute warns that the American Southwest is exhausting its water resources, and if water use isn’t reduced, “The cumulative water shortfall for the Southwest for the next century, without adaptation, will be 1,815 million acre feet” due to population and economic growth. Climate change will, of course, make…

  • Cities Lead on Climate Problems, and Solutions

    New Report Analyzes Urban Areas Across the World

  • Empowering Girls through Literacy: Kisumu Girls’ Club Leader Honored at LitWorld Gala

    Empowering Girls through Literacy: Kisumu Girls’ Club Leader Honored at LitWorld Gala

    In Kenya, as in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, girls have lower primary and secondary school completion rates than boys. Yet learning can empower girls, providing them with critical skills that enable them to become higher wage earners and community leaders. Ms. Lois Owiti, a teacher at Kisumu Day Senior High School in Kisumu, Kenya,…

  • Professor Jeffrey Sachs Extends Term as Director of the Earth Institute

    Professor Jeffrey Sachs Extends Term as Director of the Earth Institute

    The Earth Institute, Columbia University announced that Professor Jeffrey Sachs has agreed to extend his term as its director. Since his tenure began in 2002, Sachs has led the Earth Institute to become a leading scientific authority on sustainable development while simultaneously expanding its reach worldwide. Through his guidance, the Earth Institute and its scientists…

  • Growing Up: Water Efficiency and Sunless Farming

    Growing Up: Water Efficiency and Sunless Farming

    As Earth’s population continues to grow and a dynamic global climate shifts our expectations of where and when food can be grown, scientists are trying to find new ways to get more from less.

  • A Medical Mission to a Millennium City

    A Medical Mission to a Millennium City

    The following is a guest blog, authored by Dr. Medhat Allam, Chairman of International Surgical Mission Support, one of MCI’s partners. In Kenya, like with many developing counties, residents often lack access to specialized medical care. International Surgical Mission Support (ISMS), which strives to train medical professionals and provide free care to those in need,…

  • Millennium City and U.S. Students Chat and Read Aloud Online, Celebrating World Read Aloud Day

    Millennium City and U.S. Students Chat and Read Aloud Online, Celebrating World Read Aloud Day

    Words – and worlds – were shared in celebration of the second annual World Read Aloud Day, organized by LitWorld, on March 9, 2011. As part of LitWorld’s much larger celebration of reading, literacy and learning, students from across the Millennium Cities connected with students in the United States via Skype, to share stories and…

  • Widening the World for Students

    Widening the World for Students

    The following is a guest blog, authored by David Homa, an anthropology and economics teacher at Los Gatos High School in California, one of MCI’s School2School partners. As the world shrinks through the use of technology, it is possible to widen the world to students all over the world. During the past week, I have…

  • Where Poverty is Extreme, but Where Girls’ Clubs Have Taught Participants the World Has Possibility

    Where Poverty is Extreme, but Where Girls’ Clubs Have Taught Participants the World Has Possibility

    The following is a guest blog, authored by Pam Allyn, Executive Director and Founder of LitWorld, a global organization advocating for children’s rights as readers, writers and learners, and an MCI partner. This account is based on Pam’s travels to the Millennium City of Kisumu, Kenya, to spend time with four Girls’ Clubs, which foster…

  • New Water-Smart Communities Prepare For a Water Scarce Future

    New Water-Smart Communities Prepare For a Water Scarce Future

    A recent study by the Stockholm Environment Institute warns that the American Southwest is exhausting its water resources, and if water use isn’t reduced, “The cumulative water shortfall for the Southwest for the next century, without adaptation, will be 1,815 million acre feet” due to population and economic growth. Climate change will, of course, make…

  • Cities Lead on Climate Problems, and Solutions

    New Report Analyzes Urban Areas Across the World

  • Empowering Girls through Literacy: Kisumu Girls’ Club Leader Honored at LitWorld Gala

    Empowering Girls through Literacy: Kisumu Girls’ Club Leader Honored at LitWorld Gala

    In Kenya, as in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, girls have lower primary and secondary school completion rates than boys. Yet learning can empower girls, providing them with critical skills that enable them to become higher wage earners and community leaders. Ms. Lois Owiti, a teacher at Kisumu Day Senior High School in Kisumu, Kenya,…

  • Professor Jeffrey Sachs Extends Term as Director of the Earth Institute

    Professor Jeffrey Sachs Extends Term as Director of the Earth Institute

    The Earth Institute, Columbia University announced that Professor Jeffrey Sachs has agreed to extend his term as its director. Since his tenure began in 2002, Sachs has led the Earth Institute to become a leading scientific authority on sustainable development while simultaneously expanding its reach worldwide. Through his guidance, the Earth Institute and its scientists…

  • Growing Up: Water Efficiency and Sunless Farming

    Growing Up: Water Efficiency and Sunless Farming

    As Earth’s population continues to grow and a dynamic global climate shifts our expectations of where and when food can be grown, scientists are trying to find new ways to get more from less.

  • A Medical Mission to a Millennium City

    A Medical Mission to a Millennium City

    The following is a guest blog, authored by Dr. Medhat Allam, Chairman of International Surgical Mission Support, one of MCI’s partners. In Kenya, like with many developing counties, residents often lack access to specialized medical care. International Surgical Mission Support (ISMS), which strives to train medical professionals and provide free care to those in need,…

  • Millennium City and U.S. Students Chat and Read Aloud Online, Celebrating World Read Aloud Day

    Millennium City and U.S. Students Chat and Read Aloud Online, Celebrating World Read Aloud Day

    Words – and worlds – were shared in celebration of the second annual World Read Aloud Day, organized by LitWorld, on March 9, 2011. As part of LitWorld’s much larger celebration of reading, literacy and learning, students from across the Millennium Cities connected with students in the United States via Skype, to share stories and…

  • Widening the World for Students

    Widening the World for Students

    The following is a guest blog, authored by David Homa, an anthropology and economics teacher at Los Gatos High School in California, one of MCI’s School2School partners. As the world shrinks through the use of technology, it is possible to widen the world to students all over the world. During the past week, I have…