carbon emissions Archives - State of the Planet

New York City’s Greenery Absorbs a Surprising Amount of Its Carbon Emissions

A hyper-local study of vegetation shows that the city’s trees and grass often cancel out all the CO2 released from cars, trucks and buses on summer days.

by |January 5, 2023
COP27

What Did COP27 Accomplish?

Delegates from Columbia Climate School discuss the achievements and shortfalls of COP27, as well as what took place outside the negotiation room.

by Emily Halnon |November 22, 2022

Building Green Energy Facilities May Produce Substantial Carbon Emissions, Says Study

Moving from fossil fuels to solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable energy sources will by itself create a new stream of carbon emissions with the construction so much new infrastructure. The good news: Speeding the transition would greatly reduce this effect.

by |November 21, 2022

Permafrost Emissions Must Be Factored Into Global Climate Targets, Says Study

As the Arctic melts, permafrost there has the potential to send huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, but exactly how much is up for grabs, depending on what we do to stem climate change in coming years.

by |October 17, 2022

What Is Decarbonization, and How Do We Make It Happen?

To keep the planet from warming more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, economies must rapidly decarbonize. What will this involve?

by |April 22, 2022

More Carbon Emissions Will Kill More People. Here’s How Many.

Current methods to calculate the so-called social cost of carbon largely leave out how many future people our emissions will kill. This study tries to correct that.

by |July 29, 2021
person laying down insulation

A New Project to Track and Value Climate Innovation in the Built World

Launched today, the Carbon Accounting Project will calculate products’ hidden costs and benefits.

by Julio Friedmann and Jennifer Molnar |April 14, 2021
empty streets of washington dc

Coronavirus is Not Helping to Slow Down Climate Change

The same level of emissions cuts reached during the pandemic would need to be repeated each year to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2030.

by Marco Tedesco |October 8, 2020
cars in nyc street and empty bus lane

Reopening Mostly Erases Effects of Pandemic Reductions in CO2 Emissions

Although emissions temporarily dipped due to coronavirus, the numbers are bouncing back quickly as economies reopen.

by Marco Tedesco |July 3, 2020

A Guide to the Good, Low-Carbon Life

For about 10 years, environmental law professor Karl Coplan has been trying to winnow down his direct footprint of CO2 emissions. He has been successful, and has just published a book chronicling his efforts.

by |January 13, 2020