State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Water14

  • Photo Essay: The Dead Sea, Living Waters and Megadrought

    Photo Essay: The Dead Sea, Living Waters and Megadrought

    Thousands of years before Biblical times, during a period when temperatures were unusually high, the lands around the Dead Sea now occupied by Israel, Jordan and surrounding nations suffered megadroughts far worse than any recorded by humans. Warming climate now threatens to return such conditions to this already hard-pressed region.

  • New York’s Waterways Are Swimming in Plastic Microbeads

    New York’s Waterways Are Swimming in Plastic Microbeads

    Plastic microbeads, common in soap, toothpaste and other consumer products, are flooding waters. A team from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is doing the first large-scale assessment of their impact on New York’s waterways.

  • Eavesdropping on the Ocean’s Mighty Microorganisms

    Eavesdropping on the Ocean’s Mighty Microorganisms

    Now, nearing the end of our three-week cruise of the North Pacific off Hawaii, we are working to understand how these tiny bacteria connect and communicate with one another.

  • Challenges for Governments Seeking to Get Most Out of Natural Resources

    Challenges for Governments Seeking to Get Most Out of Natural Resources

    On March 2, 2017, Tanzania banned all exports of unprocessed gold and copper concentrates. The measure was taken in order to force companies to set up in-country processing of raw materials, with hopes of fostering the development of a smelter in the country.

  • Rural America’s Drinking Water Crisis: No Help From Trump Budget

    Rural America’s Drinking Water Crisis: No Help From Trump Budget

    O’Brien is just one of thousands of small communities in the United States that struggle to find the resources to ensure that the water coming out of the tap is safe to drink. The budget proposal by the Trump administration will only make matters worse.

  • Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Kartik Chandran, an environmental engineer at Columbia, will discuss some of his urban wastewater treatment projects at a panel discussion Friday following the screening of a new film about Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay.

  • How Will Climate Change Impact Water Resources?

    How Will Climate Change Impact Water Resources?

    Richard Seager and Park Williams, climate scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, discuss how water will be affected by warmer temperatures, and how their research increases understanding of these issues.

  • America’s Dam Crisis: Was Oroville Just a Drop in the Bucket?

    America’s Dam Crisis: Was Oroville Just a Drop in the Bucket?

    Columbia Water Center experts argue that dam infrastructure issues must be connected to a broader conversation about America’s water resources.

  • In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    As the world warms due to human-induced climate change, many scientists have been projecting that global rainfall patterns will shift. In the latest such study, two leading researchers map out how seasonal shifts may affect water resources across the planet.

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.

  • Photo Essay: The Dead Sea, Living Waters and Megadrought

    Photo Essay: The Dead Sea, Living Waters and Megadrought

    Thousands of years before Biblical times, during a period when temperatures were unusually high, the lands around the Dead Sea now occupied by Israel, Jordan and surrounding nations suffered megadroughts far worse than any recorded by humans. Warming climate now threatens to return such conditions to this already hard-pressed region.

  • New York’s Waterways Are Swimming in Plastic Microbeads

    New York’s Waterways Are Swimming in Plastic Microbeads

    Plastic microbeads, common in soap, toothpaste and other consumer products, are flooding waters. A team from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is doing the first large-scale assessment of their impact on New York’s waterways.

  • Eavesdropping on the Ocean’s Mighty Microorganisms

    Eavesdropping on the Ocean’s Mighty Microorganisms

    Now, nearing the end of our three-week cruise of the North Pacific off Hawaii, we are working to understand how these tiny bacteria connect and communicate with one another.

  • Challenges for Governments Seeking to Get Most Out of Natural Resources

    Challenges for Governments Seeking to Get Most Out of Natural Resources

    On March 2, 2017, Tanzania banned all exports of unprocessed gold and copper concentrates. The measure was taken in order to force companies to set up in-country processing of raw materials, with hopes of fostering the development of a smelter in the country.

  • Rural America’s Drinking Water Crisis: No Help From Trump Budget

    Rural America’s Drinking Water Crisis: No Help From Trump Budget

    O’Brien is just one of thousands of small communities in the United States that struggle to find the resources to ensure that the water coming out of the tap is safe to drink. The budget proposal by the Trump administration will only make matters worse.

  • Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Kartik Chandran, an environmental engineer at Columbia, will discuss some of his urban wastewater treatment projects at a panel discussion Friday following the screening of a new film about Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay.

  • How Will Climate Change Impact Water Resources?

    How Will Climate Change Impact Water Resources?

    Richard Seager and Park Williams, climate scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, discuss how water will be affected by warmer temperatures, and how their research increases understanding of these issues.

  • America’s Dam Crisis: Was Oroville Just a Drop in the Bucket?

    America’s Dam Crisis: Was Oroville Just a Drop in the Bucket?

    Columbia Water Center experts argue that dam infrastructure issues must be connected to a broader conversation about America’s water resources.

  • In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    As the world warms due to human-induced climate change, many scientists have been projecting that global rainfall patterns will shift. In the latest such study, two leading researchers map out how seasonal shifts may affect water resources across the planet.