State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Advanced Consortium on Cooperation Conflict and Complexity10

  • How Women Tackle Challenges of Peace and Security

    How Women Tackle Challenges of Peace and Security

    A workshop Thursday will bring together women activists from many communities to talk about how women have been able to successfully influence sustainable peace through everyday activism. The event is being held by the new Women, Peace and Security Program, which is directed by Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee.

  • Conflict, Displaced Persons and the Built Environment

    Conflict, Displaced Persons and the Built Environment

    Changing personal and social narratives can address issues of internal displacement in the built environment, as in this case in Medellín, Colombia.

  • Drought in Papua New Guinea Heightens Tensions over Gold Mine

    Drought in Papua New Guinea Heightens Tensions over Gold Mine

    In the highlands of Papua New Guinea, tensions between local villagers and a gold mining operation over access to clean water are being heightened by a prolonged drought.

  • Uncovering Impacts of Gold Mining in Papua New Guinea

    Uncovering Impacts of Gold Mining in Papua New Guinea

    From late December 2015 through January, a team of Earth Institute scientists and human rights lawyers from Columbia University worked in the highlands of Papua New Guinea to deliver the results of an independent study of water quality and human rights to the indigenous communities living near an industrial gold mine.

  • Complicate to Simplify: Lessons from Complexity Science

    Complicate to Simplify: Lessons from Complexity Science

    What our team found at this school in the Bronx is what we see in many intractable social problems. They spring from a complex constellation of ills, and the longer they last the more complicated they get. And the more simple they seem from the inside.

  • Conflict Resolution in the Arab World: a Knowledge-Sharing Agenda

    Conflict Resolution in the Arab World: a Knowledge-Sharing Agenda

    In 2005, colleagues working in conflict resolution and peace-building in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Palestine and Syria approached Columbia University’s International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution with a request for science-based resources on constructive engagement made available in Arabic.

  • Intractable Conflict: Can We End ‘Endless’ Wars?

    Intractable Conflict: Can We End ‘Endless’ Wars?

    Intractable conflicts such as the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East or long-term civil wars in central Africa are among the world’s most destructive social ills, and the most difficult to solve. Over the past decade, Peter Coleman, director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University, has been…

  • Josh Fisher Named Director of Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity

    Josh Fisher Named Director of Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity

    “The road ahead for AC4 involves integrating the lessons learned from the peace, conflict and security communities into the work being done at The Earth Institute on developing solutions for sustainable development.” — Josh Fisher

  • The Beginning of Peace?

    The Beginning of Peace?

    The hard truth is that we know very little about sustaining peace. This is because for decades we have studied the pathologies of war, violence, aggression and conflict – and peace in the context of those processes – but few have studied peace directly.

Collage of Turkiye beach scene and Columbia University Campus with text: UN Climate Change Conference COP31, Antalya, Turkiye, Nov 9-20, 2026

COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • How Women Tackle Challenges of Peace and Security

    How Women Tackle Challenges of Peace and Security

    A workshop Thursday will bring together women activists from many communities to talk about how women have been able to successfully influence sustainable peace through everyday activism. The event is being held by the new Women, Peace and Security Program, which is directed by Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee.

  • Conflict, Displaced Persons and the Built Environment

    Conflict, Displaced Persons and the Built Environment

    Changing personal and social narratives can address issues of internal displacement in the built environment, as in this case in Medellín, Colombia.

  • Drought in Papua New Guinea Heightens Tensions over Gold Mine

    Drought in Papua New Guinea Heightens Tensions over Gold Mine

    In the highlands of Papua New Guinea, tensions between local villagers and a gold mining operation over access to clean water are being heightened by a prolonged drought.

  • Uncovering Impacts of Gold Mining in Papua New Guinea

    Uncovering Impacts of Gold Mining in Papua New Guinea

    From late December 2015 through January, a team of Earth Institute scientists and human rights lawyers from Columbia University worked in the highlands of Papua New Guinea to deliver the results of an independent study of water quality and human rights to the indigenous communities living near an industrial gold mine.

  • Complicate to Simplify: Lessons from Complexity Science

    Complicate to Simplify: Lessons from Complexity Science

    What our team found at this school in the Bronx is what we see in many intractable social problems. They spring from a complex constellation of ills, and the longer they last the more complicated they get. And the more simple they seem from the inside.

  • Conflict Resolution in the Arab World: a Knowledge-Sharing Agenda

    Conflict Resolution in the Arab World: a Knowledge-Sharing Agenda

    In 2005, colleagues working in conflict resolution and peace-building in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Palestine and Syria approached Columbia University’s International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution with a request for science-based resources on constructive engagement made available in Arabic.

  • Intractable Conflict: Can We End ‘Endless’ Wars?

    Intractable Conflict: Can We End ‘Endless’ Wars?

    Intractable conflicts such as the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East or long-term civil wars in central Africa are among the world’s most destructive social ills, and the most difficult to solve. Over the past decade, Peter Coleman, director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University, has been…

  • Josh Fisher Named Director of Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity

    Josh Fisher Named Director of Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity

    “The road ahead for AC4 involves integrating the lessons learned from the peace, conflict and security communities into the work being done at The Earth Institute on developing solutions for sustainable development.” — Josh Fisher

  • The Beginning of Peace?

    The Beginning of Peace?

    The hard truth is that we know very little about sustaining peace. This is because for decades we have studied the pathologies of war, violence, aggression and conflict – and peace in the context of those processes – but few have studied peace directly.