State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Water24

  • Sustainable Development Fall 2014 Workshop Briefings

    Sustainable Development Fall 2014 Workshop Briefings

    This fall, students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development unveiled innovative solutions for sustainability issues as part of their Capstone Workshop. Under the guidance of professors Stuart Gaffin and Radley Horton, students worked as consultants for organizations such as the United States Military Academy at West Point, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and…

  • Toxic Chemicals All Around Us: Is Green Chemistry the Answer?

    Toxic Chemicals All Around Us: Is Green Chemistry the Answer?

    We live in a world filled with synthetic chemicals, many with known or suspected health hazards. Can green chemistry, the design of chemical products without hazardous substances, provide a solution?

  • Matching Funds Boost Contributions through Dec. 31

    Matching Funds Boost Contributions through Dec. 31

    The Earth Institute will benefit this holiday season from a matching gift from dedicated donor Betsee Parker, who will match your contributions dollar for dollar up to $300,000 this holiday season.

  • Floods, Companies and Supply Chain Risk

    Floods, Companies and Supply Chain Risk

    Global companies with long supply chains could do a much better job of managing climate disaster risk, according to a recently published study from the Columbia Water Center.

  • Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    According to the World Water Management Institute, over one-third of the human population is affected by water scarcity. Advances in physical understanding, its applications, and the study of our environment and bio-mimicry help us develop more effective ways to fight freshwater scarcity around the world.

  • Photo Essay: A Day in the Life of the Hudson River

    Photo Essay: A Day in the Life of the Hudson River

    Once a year, Piermont Pier becomes a field station, and local students, a team of environmental investigators. On Tuesday, scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory led students through a series of field experiments designed to teach them more about the Hudson River.

  • Warming Streams Have Cascading Impacts in the Amazon

    Warming Streams Have Cascading Impacts in the Amazon

    To protect a river, you must preserve its headwaters. Agricultural development is warming streams at the headwaters of the Xingu River, in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Rising temperatures have local impacts that could cascade into regional changes, highlighting the importance of responsible land use outside of protected areas.

  • The Art and Science of Climate Change

    The Art and Science of Climate Change

    This fall, the photographs of Sebastião Salgado provide the springboard for an ambitious program of panel discussions, lectures and film screenings addressing the urgent issue of climate change, at the International Center of Photography in New York City.

  • Taking Undergraduate Research on the Road

    Taking Undergraduate Research on the Road

    This experience taught us not only about climate modeling, quantitative research and analysis, but also about the dynamic process of working with a client and with a team. After months of hard work, our team presented our findings to fellow students and faculty at Columbia and to our clients at West Point. The project has…

Columbia Climate School Giving Day on October 28, 2026, featuring students and renewable energy imagery

October 28, 2026 is Columbia Giving Day! Your gift to Columbia Climate School helps advance interdisciplinary research, educate the next generation of leaders, and transform bold ideas into real-world solutions for climate, Earth, and society.

  • Sustainable Development Fall 2014 Workshop Briefings

    Sustainable Development Fall 2014 Workshop Briefings

    This fall, students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development unveiled innovative solutions for sustainability issues as part of their Capstone Workshop. Under the guidance of professors Stuart Gaffin and Radley Horton, students worked as consultants for organizations such as the United States Military Academy at West Point, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and…

  • Toxic Chemicals All Around Us: Is Green Chemistry the Answer?

    Toxic Chemicals All Around Us: Is Green Chemistry the Answer?

    We live in a world filled with synthetic chemicals, many with known or suspected health hazards. Can green chemistry, the design of chemical products without hazardous substances, provide a solution?

  • Matching Funds Boost Contributions through Dec. 31

    Matching Funds Boost Contributions through Dec. 31

    The Earth Institute will benefit this holiday season from a matching gift from dedicated donor Betsee Parker, who will match your contributions dollar for dollar up to $300,000 this holiday season.

  • Floods, Companies and Supply Chain Risk

    Floods, Companies and Supply Chain Risk

    Global companies with long supply chains could do a much better job of managing climate disaster risk, according to a recently published study from the Columbia Water Center.

  • Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    According to the World Water Management Institute, over one-third of the human population is affected by water scarcity. Advances in physical understanding, its applications, and the study of our environment and bio-mimicry help us develop more effective ways to fight freshwater scarcity around the world.

  • Photo Essay: A Day in the Life of the Hudson River

    Photo Essay: A Day in the Life of the Hudson River

    Once a year, Piermont Pier becomes a field station, and local students, a team of environmental investigators. On Tuesday, scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory led students through a series of field experiments designed to teach them more about the Hudson River.

  • Warming Streams Have Cascading Impacts in the Amazon

    Warming Streams Have Cascading Impacts in the Amazon

    To protect a river, you must preserve its headwaters. Agricultural development is warming streams at the headwaters of the Xingu River, in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Rising temperatures have local impacts that could cascade into regional changes, highlighting the importance of responsible land use outside of protected areas.

  • The Art and Science of Climate Change

    The Art and Science of Climate Change

    This fall, the photographs of Sebastião Salgado provide the springboard for an ambitious program of panel discussions, lectures and film screenings addressing the urgent issue of climate change, at the International Center of Photography in New York City.

  • Taking Undergraduate Research on the Road

    Taking Undergraduate Research on the Road

    This experience taught us not only about climate modeling, quantitative research and analysis, but also about the dynamic process of working with a client and with a team. After months of hard work, our team presented our findings to fellow students and faculty at Columbia and to our clients at West Point. The project has…