State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Water17

  • Earth Institute 2017 Calendar Now Available

    Earth Institute 2017 Calendar Now Available

    To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we asked members of the Earth Institute community to submit photographs for a 2017 wall calendar highlighting our work. Watch a slide show of some of the submissions. Donate $25 or more and we’ll send you the calendar.

  • Spy Satellites Reveal the Himalayas’ Changing Glaciers – in 3D

    Spy Satellites Reveal the Himalayas’ Changing Glaciers – in 3D

    Declassified spy satellite images are beginning to provide the first consistent look at how glaciers across the Himalayas are changing and what future water supplies might look like for millions of people.

  • Sustainable Development Fall 2016 Workshop Briefings

    By Chandler Precht On December 9, 2016, students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development presented practical solutions to sustainability issues and challenges faced by real world clients. Under the guidance of Professor Stuart Gaffin and Professor Radley Horton, the Capstone Workshop offers students a chance to convey the knowledge and theories gained throughout their time in the…

  • Study Links Groundwater Changes to Fracking

    Distance and Topography Play Roles in Pennsylvania

  • Water Quality Concerns Extend Well Beyond Flint

    Water Quality Concerns Extend Well Beyond Flint

    Researchers at the Columbia Water Center have been analyzing trends in drinking water quality violations. A critical lesson is that water quality violations extend well beyond the problem of lead in Flint’s drinking water.

  • Dammed Funding for U.S. Dams

    Dammed Funding for U.S. Dams

    Across the nation, large-scale water infrastructure such as dams have provided a multitude of services, from electric power and water reservoirs to flood control and containment of pollution. But federal investments in large water infrastructure projects have largely been curtailed over the past few decades.

  • How Safe is the Hudson? Scientists Test the River, Adirondacks to Ocean

    How Safe is the Hudson? Scientists Test the River, Adirondacks to Ocean

    A team of scientists conducted an unprecedented health check of the entire Hudson River system, from its source to New York Harbor. This is what they found.

  • Urban Pumping Raises Arsenic Risk in Southeast Asia

    River Water Is Now Flowing Into Aquifers Through Highly Contaminated Sediments

  • Rules Would Require More Environmental Risk Disclosure in Mining

    Rules Would Require More Environmental Risk Disclosure in Mining

    The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed changes to its disclosure requirements for mining companies that could increase the liability potential of companies that fail to accurately disclose environmentally related risks to their investors.

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • Earth Institute 2017 Calendar Now Available

    Earth Institute 2017 Calendar Now Available

    To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we asked members of the Earth Institute community to submit photographs for a 2017 wall calendar highlighting our work. Watch a slide show of some of the submissions. Donate $25 or more and we’ll send you the calendar.

  • Spy Satellites Reveal the Himalayas’ Changing Glaciers – in 3D

    Spy Satellites Reveal the Himalayas’ Changing Glaciers – in 3D

    Declassified spy satellite images are beginning to provide the first consistent look at how glaciers across the Himalayas are changing and what future water supplies might look like for millions of people.

  • Sustainable Development Fall 2016 Workshop Briefings

    By Chandler Precht On December 9, 2016, students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development presented practical solutions to sustainability issues and challenges faced by real world clients. Under the guidance of Professor Stuart Gaffin and Professor Radley Horton, the Capstone Workshop offers students a chance to convey the knowledge and theories gained throughout their time in the…

  • Study Links Groundwater Changes to Fracking

    Distance and Topography Play Roles in Pennsylvania

  • Water Quality Concerns Extend Well Beyond Flint

    Water Quality Concerns Extend Well Beyond Flint

    Researchers at the Columbia Water Center have been analyzing trends in drinking water quality violations. A critical lesson is that water quality violations extend well beyond the problem of lead in Flint’s drinking water.

  • Dammed Funding for U.S. Dams

    Dammed Funding for U.S. Dams

    Across the nation, large-scale water infrastructure such as dams have provided a multitude of services, from electric power and water reservoirs to flood control and containment of pollution. But federal investments in large water infrastructure projects have largely been curtailed over the past few decades.

  • How Safe is the Hudson? Scientists Test the River, Adirondacks to Ocean

    How Safe is the Hudson? Scientists Test the River, Adirondacks to Ocean

    A team of scientists conducted an unprecedented health check of the entire Hudson River system, from its source to New York Harbor. This is what they found.

  • Urban Pumping Raises Arsenic Risk in Southeast Asia

    River Water Is Now Flowing Into Aquifers Through Highly Contaminated Sediments

  • Rules Would Require More Environmental Risk Disclosure in Mining

    Rules Would Require More Environmental Risk Disclosure in Mining

    The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed changes to its disclosure requirements for mining companies that could increase the liability potential of companies that fail to accurately disclose environmentally related risks to their investors.