air quality Archives - State of the Planet

faye mcneill headshot

Faye McNeill Combats Air Pollution, From the Molecular to the Global Scale

The first woman to earn tenure in Columbia’s chemical engineering department, McNeill is working for cleaner air in developing countries.

by |March 8, 2022
raheja posing on a jet

Data Scientist Garima Raheja Is Addressing the Environmental Justice Issues of Air Pollution

She’s using air quality sensors to measure how air pollution impacts disadvantaged people in the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa.

by |October 19, 2021
New Delhi air pollution

Air Pollution Is Harming People in the Global South at an Alarming Rate. A Climate School Project Wants to Help

Researchers from Columbia’s Climate School are using data collection, community collaboration, and startups to reduce the negative health effects of pollution in India, Indonesia, and the continent of Africa.

by Caroline Harting |July 23, 2021
scientist installing a sensor near a fence

Bridging the Air Pollution Data Gap in Sub-Saharan Africa

Dan Westervelt, a 2019 Center for Climate and Life Fellow, received funding to address the ongoing air pollution crisis in three large sub-Saharan African cities.

by |January 23, 2020

Data Visualization: World Happiness Trends

Could the number of women in a nation’s government have an impact on its happiness? Can air quality effect the mood of a population? Do trains make people happier? Explore World Happiness Report data and trends that might also contribute to a country’s overall well-being.

What You Should Know About Air Quality Alerts

“It’s a code red day for ozone.” If you hear this on your local news, what does it mean? Are you at risk? Do you know what to do?

by |June 26, 2018

NASA Finds New Way to Track Ozone By Satellite

Ozone pollution near Earth’s surface is one of the main ingredients of summertime smog. But it not directly measurable from space, due to the abundance of ozone higher in the atmosphere, which masks the surface. Now, researchers have devised a way to use satellite measurements of the precursor gases that contribute to ozone formation to predict when and where ozone will form.

by |November 6, 2017

By the Numbers: Air Quality and Pollution in New York City

New York City is known for many things, but having clean air isn’t one of them. Explore some of the issues and challenges the Big Apple faces in clearing NYC’s air through interactive maps and data.

by |June 6, 2016

How Well is the World Protecting Ecosystems and Human Health?

The new global environmental report card is out. The 2016 Environmental Performance Index graded 180 countries on how well they are protecting human health and their ecosystems. While the world is making progress in some areas, it is seriously falling behind in others.

by |February 18, 2016
Jeffany Acosta SSFRP 2015

Spring 2016 Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

The Earth Institute will offer nine research assistant opportunities for undergraduate students during the Spring 2016 semester.

by |December 1, 2015