State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Water71

  • New Dept of Interior Water Strategy

    “The federal government’s existing water policies and programs simply aren’t built for 21st century pressures on water supplies,” Salazar said. “Population growth. Climate change. Rising energy demands. Environmental needs. Aging infrastructure. Risks to drinking water supplies. Those are just some of the challenges.”

  • The Role of Wastewater Treatment in Drug Resistance

    One of the main threats to health in both the developing and developed worlds is the increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. On February 19, Kartik Chandran, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering talked with Water Center staff and students about his study of the role wastewater treatment might play in this complex issue.

  • UK report on oceanic geoengineering study

    New research from the UK’s National Oceanography Centre, Southampton shows that plans to pump nutrient-rich water up from the deep ocean in order the boost algae growth at the surface to absorb CO2 would likely only sequester a small amount of total anthropogenic carbon emissions, and if the system was stopped could lead to rapid…

  • Twitter Photo of the Day

    The Columbia Water Center is now posting a Photo of the Day on Twitter, highlighting global water issues and CWC’s projects around the world.  Follow us here:  http://twitter.com/columbiawater

  • Punjab Farmers Adapt to Shrinking Water Supply

    Often referred to as the granary of India, Punjab is now slowly drying out. And though many farmers are deeply worried over the prospects of producing enough food, some of the more entrepreneurial ones are adopting new ways to conserve water while bracing for what will be a drier future. Back in the 1970s India…

  • Water Scarcity Conflicts Loom, but also Potential Cooperation

    Regions likely to become drier because of climate change include Central Asia and northern Africa. Up to 250 million people in Africa could suffer extra stress on water supplies by 2020, according to the U.N. panel of climate experts.

  • Public water means water savings

    On February 12, Columbia Water Center staff had the opportunity to hear a presentation from Sheetal Sekhri, an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia Department of Economics, on ‘The Impact of Public Groundwater Provision Schemes on Water Tables: Evidence from Rural India’. Staff engaged her in a spirited discussion of the results of her…

  • To lighten up your day…

    A scientific instructional video full of good (mis)information about our friend water.

  • Saving water, paying more?

    New York City’s Water Board (which determines the finances for Department of Environmental Protection’s water system) is proposing a water rate increase of 14% for fiscal year 2010. According to an article in the Daily News, the rate increase is needed because New Yorkers are using less water, meaning that DEP is earning less revenue.…

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You Asked invites you to share your most pressing questions about climate, science, and sustainability. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School experts will respond with clear, evidence-based answers. Pose your questions and story ideas!

  • New Dept of Interior Water Strategy

    “The federal government’s existing water policies and programs simply aren’t built for 21st century pressures on water supplies,” Salazar said. “Population growth. Climate change. Rising energy demands. Environmental needs. Aging infrastructure. Risks to drinking water supplies. Those are just some of the challenges.”

  • The Role of Wastewater Treatment in Drug Resistance

    One of the main threats to health in both the developing and developed worlds is the increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. On February 19, Kartik Chandran, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering talked with Water Center staff and students about his study of the role wastewater treatment might play in this complex issue.

  • UK report on oceanic geoengineering study

    New research from the UK’s National Oceanography Centre, Southampton shows that plans to pump nutrient-rich water up from the deep ocean in order the boost algae growth at the surface to absorb CO2 would likely only sequester a small amount of total anthropogenic carbon emissions, and if the system was stopped could lead to rapid…

  • Twitter Photo of the Day

    The Columbia Water Center is now posting a Photo of the Day on Twitter, highlighting global water issues and CWC’s projects around the world.  Follow us here:  http://twitter.com/columbiawater

  • Punjab Farmers Adapt to Shrinking Water Supply

    Often referred to as the granary of India, Punjab is now slowly drying out. And though many farmers are deeply worried over the prospects of producing enough food, some of the more entrepreneurial ones are adopting new ways to conserve water while bracing for what will be a drier future. Back in the 1970s India…

  • Water Scarcity Conflicts Loom, but also Potential Cooperation

    Regions likely to become drier because of climate change include Central Asia and northern Africa. Up to 250 million people in Africa could suffer extra stress on water supplies by 2020, according to the U.N. panel of climate experts.

  • Public water means water savings

    On February 12, Columbia Water Center staff had the opportunity to hear a presentation from Sheetal Sekhri, an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia Department of Economics, on ‘The Impact of Public Groundwater Provision Schemes on Water Tables: Evidence from Rural India’. Staff engaged her in a spirited discussion of the results of her…

  • To lighten up your day…

    A scientific instructional video full of good (mis)information about our friend water.

  • Saving water, paying more?

    New York City’s Water Board (which determines the finances for Department of Environmental Protection’s water system) is proposing a water rate increase of 14% for fiscal year 2010. According to an article in the Daily News, the rate increase is needed because New Yorkers are using less water, meaning that DEP is earning less revenue.…