Water46
-
Fracking Gains Ground in New York
Fracking is back in the news again, and in a big way. On July 1, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, backed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration, released its recommendations regarding the controversial natural gas extraction technique. Amidst the din of statewide protests, the agency supported fracking in most of the state’s portion…
-
Ripple Effect Author Talks Efficiency; Cleanup
The outlook for global water is bleak, but Alex Prud’Homme still believes in the power of human ingenuity.
-
Water Scarcity: A Shared Problem With a World of Solutions
Columbia scientists and affiliates from four continents came together for the first time last week to discuss global water scarcity, present solutions from their own countries, transfer knowledge and present next steps to scale up current projects.
-
Wasting Food = Wasting Water
The world is teetering on the edge of a food crisis due to the growing population, soaring food prices, and water scarcity, yet a shocking one third of the food produced around the world goes to waste.
-
Clean Water for Fiji
Corporate giant Fiji Water makes millions of dollars every year selling bottled water, but only 47 percent of Fiji Islanders have access to clean drinking water. That may change.
-
Cape May, New Jersey’s Battle Against Nature
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers battles an encroaching ocean, but how long will their funding hold out?
-
To the tip of the Andes
In the semi-arid Andes, glaciers store water and control the runoff of mountain rivers. They feed water to big cities such as Lima and Arequipa and irrigate the surrounding lowlands. But as the planet warms, mountain glaciers in the tropics are receding steadily. Despite their paramount importance, we don’t know the scale and the rate…
-
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…
-
Toxic Waters in the Gilded State
To those who have never been, the Golden State is known for luxurious palm tree-lined avenues, sun-drenched beaches, and picturesque mountains. But not all parts of California were created equal. The state’s San Joaquin Valley hosts a scene entirely different from the images of Malibu beaches depicted in travel brochures. It is the non-glittering core…
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.
