Posts
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From Sendai to Rio: A Call for Action
The people living on the northeast coast of Japan had learned to expect large earthquakes. But despite being one of the best-prepared nations, they were caught off-guard by the force of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that devastated their coastline and led to the meltdown of reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
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Introducing the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management Concentration for the Executive MPA
“While full time students at the School of International and Public Affairs have been able to focus their studies in environmental policy and sustainability management since 1987, students in the Executive MPA program have not been provided with this opportunity,” says Concentration Director Steve Cohen. Beginning in the fall of 2012, SIPA in partnership with…
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Student research contributes to Earth Institute’s work in Haiti
On April 2, 2012, H.E. Prime Minister Garry Conille of Haiti joined students and staff of the Columbia University community at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) for a day of events around the theme of Aid Effectiveness and Coordination in Haiti. The Prime Minister’s presence on campus, four months after his first…
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Why Soil Matters
Soil is the source of all life. Yet “we know more about soils of Mars than about soils of Africa,” says Pedro Sanchez, director of the Earth Institute’s Tropical Agriculture and the Rural Environment Program. To remedy this situation, the Earth Institute is taking part in an ambitious undertaking to map the world’s soils.
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MS Student Creates a Hospitable Environment for Sustainability
Diana Beltran joined the MS in Sustainability Management Program because she viewed its curriculum as a way to merge her two passions: hospitality and the environment.
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EPA Announces New Performance Standards for Power Plants
EPA recently announced new performance standards for power plants that limit carbon dioxide emissions. The proposed rule formally recognizes the importance of regulating carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas and effectively eliminates the construction of conventional coal plants.
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Save those Acorns for the Apocalypse
As biodiversity takes a hit from climate change, forward thinking groups store seed samples in gene banks. The idea: if an entire species is wiped out, scientists can repopulate from the samples. Hello, plant versions of Adam and Eve.
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Connecting the past, the present and the future to understand climate
Over 100,000 years of Arctic climate data has been linked in the last two days of Ice Bridge missions. When you see the names DYE2, EGIG, GRIP, Ice Bridge and MABEL you view the elite list of Arctic science projects that deliver(ed) groundbreaking climate information through the last 50 years, and if all goes as…
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MPA Student Complements Classroom Learning with Hydrofracking Policy Experience: Part II
MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) Student Josh Garrett puts the memo writing skills he learned in the classroom into practice as an intern focused on hydrofracking policy at Earthjustice. He is doing legal research on how existing environmental policies relate to the practice and identifying ingredients in hydraulic fracturing fluid.
