Posts
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The Triassic and Today: Hinge Points in Earth’s History
Paleontologist Paul Olsen has been investigating the causes of Triassic-Jurassic extinction–a turning point in earth’s history that wiped out many life forms and started the reign of dinosaurs. More than 200 million years separate us from this catastrophe (also called the End-Triassic Extinction), but it could contain some lessons for us today, says Olsen. For…
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Drilling into the Jurassic in New Jersey
One hour from New York City, where the suburbs of New Jersey give way to farms, a team of scientists are drilling for ancient rocks on the edge of a cornfield. The rocks hold clues about what the earth was like about 201 million years ago,during the great extinction that allowed dinosaurs to dominate. Listen…
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Polar Climate Change Education Partnership Receives $5.6 Million Grant
The Columbia Climate Center led PoLAR Climate Change Education Partnership receives a $5.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), one of six awards under the Climate Change Education Partnership-Phase II program.
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Forecasting Climate’s Effects on Global Food Production
The worst drought to hit the U.S. in decades has already brought corn yields to a 17-year low and will almost certainly raise food prices. Wealth will soften the blow in the U.S., but in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, prolonged drought has often had deadly consequences. Is there a better way to anticipate climate’s…
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Preparing for a Future of Perpetual Drought
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects that droughts will likely increase in central North America this century. How can we prepare for a future of perpetual drought?
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MS Students Present Final Analysis on Reporting Standards to NRDC
On Wednesday, August 8, students in the Master of Science in Sustainability Management program presented their final Capstone Workshop presentations for fellow students, program faculty, and colleagues at Columbia University’s Faculty House. The project, entitled “Environmental Performance Reporting,” required the team to analyze the pros and cons of the most viable reporting systems in order…
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Cities Are Where the Action Is, Post-Rio
Representatives of the worlds’ cities came to Rio in June for a series of events focused on the problems pressing in on the burgeoning urban population. Mayors around the world already are working on solutions and came out of Rio with concrete commitments for the future.
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Household Survey in Kenya Lays Groundwork for Fight Against Poverty
A new survey conducted in three informal settlements in Kisumu, Kenya, examined poverty at the household level, gleaning information on the quality of life experienced by individuals living in such settlements. A follow-up workshop gave researchers a chance to share the information with local residents and hear their thoughts on the needs of poor neighborhoods.
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Building a New Model for Development with the Honduran Government
Together with the Honduran government, the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development and Earth Institute colleagues will design a sustainable development plan that tackles agriculture, education, health, energy, climate change mitigation and business development to address the root causes of poverty in Golfo de Fonseca.
