State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

air pollution9

  • The State and Future of Congestion Pricing in China

    The State and Future of Congestion Pricing in China

    To combat urban air pollution and traffic problems, some propose congestion pricing as a cost-effective policy to reduce pollution and improve productivity through improved travel speeds. Cities in China could implement this policy and ameliorate some of the negative effects of congestion-caused pollution. So why is congestion pricing dead on arrival in China?

  • Asthma Hot Spots Linked to Trucks, Low-Grade Heating Oil

    New York Children Suffer Block by Block Depending on Soot Levels

  • Bottom Up or Top Down? Another Way to Look at an Air Quality Problem

    Bottom Up or Top Down? Another Way to Look at an Air Quality Problem

    While not all countries have the financial wherewithal and capacity to deploy ground-based instruments for air-quality monitoring, and for some countries monitoring information is not available to the public, for example, through health advisories, another way exists to assess air pollution levels: through satellites.

  • Data’s Power to Spur Environmental Progress

    Data’s Power to Spur Environmental Progress

    In January, 132 countries received their environmental report cards. The Environmental Performance Index has goaded leaders into action by letting them see their countries’ strengths and weaknesses compared to other countries.

  • Cuts in Non-CO2 Pollutants May Slow Climate Change

    Reducing Soot and Methane Would Bring Fast Results, Says Study

  • Study Sees Little Dust Risk For Subway Workers

    Compact Air Samplers Track Pollution in New York Tunnels

  • Global Environmental Scorecard Gives U.S. Low Rank

    Jan. 23, Davos, Switzerland – A new international ranking of environmental performance puts Switzerland at the top—and the United States 39th, last among the Group of 8 industrialized countries. The ranking, the 2008 Environmental Performance Index, was produced by a team from Yale University and the Columbia University Earth Institute’s Center for International Earth Science…

Columbia Climate School Giving Day on October 28, 2026, featuring students and renewable energy imagery

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.

  • The State and Future of Congestion Pricing in China

    The State and Future of Congestion Pricing in China

    To combat urban air pollution and traffic problems, some propose congestion pricing as a cost-effective policy to reduce pollution and improve productivity through improved travel speeds. Cities in China could implement this policy and ameliorate some of the negative effects of congestion-caused pollution. So why is congestion pricing dead on arrival in China?

  • Asthma Hot Spots Linked to Trucks, Low-Grade Heating Oil

    New York Children Suffer Block by Block Depending on Soot Levels

  • Bottom Up or Top Down? Another Way to Look at an Air Quality Problem

    Bottom Up or Top Down? Another Way to Look at an Air Quality Problem

    While not all countries have the financial wherewithal and capacity to deploy ground-based instruments for air-quality monitoring, and for some countries monitoring information is not available to the public, for example, through health advisories, another way exists to assess air pollution levels: through satellites.

  • Data’s Power to Spur Environmental Progress

    Data’s Power to Spur Environmental Progress

    In January, 132 countries received their environmental report cards. The Environmental Performance Index has goaded leaders into action by letting them see their countries’ strengths and weaknesses compared to other countries.

  • Cuts in Non-CO2 Pollutants May Slow Climate Change

    Reducing Soot and Methane Would Bring Fast Results, Says Study

  • Study Sees Little Dust Risk For Subway Workers

    Compact Air Samplers Track Pollution in New York Tunnels

  • Global Environmental Scorecard Gives U.S. Low Rank

    Jan. 23, Davos, Switzerland – A new international ranking of environmental performance puts Switzerland at the top—and the United States 39th, last among the Group of 8 industrialized countries. The ranking, the 2008 Environmental Performance Index, was produced by a team from Yale University and the Columbia University Earth Institute’s Center for International Earth Science…