State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate and Agriculture6

  • Warming Climate Could Abruptly Increase Rain in Africa’s Sahel

    Warming Climate Could Abruptly Increase Rain in Africa’s Sahel

    Climate change could turn one of Africa’s driest regions wet, according to a new study. Scientists have found evidence in computer simulations for a possible abrupt change in the Sahel, a region long characterized by aridity and political instability. In the study, just published in the journal Earth System Dynamics, the authors detected a self-amplifying…

  • In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    As the world warms due to human-induced climate change, many scientists have been projecting that global rainfall patterns will shift. In the latest such study, two leading researchers map out how seasonal shifts may affect water resources across the planet.

  • Side Trip to Hiron Point, Sundarbans

    Side Trip to Hiron Point, Sundarbans

    After helping Chris an Dan with soil salinity and reflectance measurement, Humayun, Liz and I moved onto the smaller M.B. Mewl to sail through the Sundarban Mangrove Forest to service our GPS station at Hiron Point.

  • Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    I’m back in Bangladesh with a small team after a year and a half away. One different is a police escort as a result of the attacks last year. We start by successfully sampling river sediments to correct the date of an earthquake that caused a river to shift over 3,500 years ago. We also…

  • Climate Week: Why Does It Matter?

    Climate Week: Why Does It Matter?

    Climate Week NYC 2016, Sept. 19 to 35, features over 70 events bringing together business, societal and government leaders to share ideas, technologies, resources and success stories that are helping to curb climate change and transition to a low-carbon society.

  • 4th International Sustainable Development Conference Coming up

    4th International Sustainable Development Conference Coming up

    The world is working on sustainable development. And many of the new ideas and innovations being applied to fields from agriculture and food security to climate adaptation to socially inclusive economic growth will be on display at the fourth annual International Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held at Columbia University Sept. 21-22.

  • Preparing for Climate-Related Food Shocks

    Preparing for Climate-Related Food Shocks

    Researchers are investigating if the projected increase in climate change-generated droughts, floods, heat waves and other intense short-term occurrences will result in increased shocks that could jeopardize food security worldwide.

  • Filling a Climate Gap and Helping Rwandan Farmers

    Filling a Climate Gap and Helping Rwandan Farmers

    Agriculture makes up a major portion of Rwanda’s economy, and employs eight in 10 Rwandans. Of course, farmers are hugely dependent on the climate, and a new project hopes to ensure they get timely information so they can plan for both good times and bad.

  • How Sustainable is Vertical Farming? Students Try to Answer the Question

    How Sustainable is Vertical Farming? Students Try to Answer the Question

    Vertical farming is touted as a solution to the drawbacks of traditional agriculture, but how sustainable is it really? A team of students attempts to design a certification system to assess the sustainability of vertical farms.

  • Warming Climate Could Abruptly Increase Rain in Africa’s Sahel

    Warming Climate Could Abruptly Increase Rain in Africa’s Sahel

    Climate change could turn one of Africa’s driest regions wet, according to a new study. Scientists have found evidence in computer simulations for a possible abrupt change in the Sahel, a region long characterized by aridity and political instability. In the study, just published in the journal Earth System Dynamics, the authors detected a self-amplifying…

  • In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    In a Warmer World, Expect the Wet to Get Wetter, and the Dry, Drier

    As the world warms due to human-induced climate change, many scientists have been projecting that global rainfall patterns will shift. In the latest such study, two leading researchers map out how seasonal shifts may affect water resources across the planet.

  • Side Trip to Hiron Point, Sundarbans

    Side Trip to Hiron Point, Sundarbans

    After helping Chris an Dan with soil salinity and reflectance measurement, Humayun, Liz and I moved onto the smaller M.B. Mewl to sail through the Sundarban Mangrove Forest to service our GPS station at Hiron Point.

  • Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    I’m back in Bangladesh with a small team after a year and a half away. One different is a police escort as a result of the attacks last year. We start by successfully sampling river sediments to correct the date of an earthquake that caused a river to shift over 3,500 years ago. We also…

  • Climate Week: Why Does It Matter?

    Climate Week: Why Does It Matter?

    Climate Week NYC 2016, Sept. 19 to 35, features over 70 events bringing together business, societal and government leaders to share ideas, technologies, resources and success stories that are helping to curb climate change and transition to a low-carbon society.

  • 4th International Sustainable Development Conference Coming up

    4th International Sustainable Development Conference Coming up

    The world is working on sustainable development. And many of the new ideas and innovations being applied to fields from agriculture and food security to climate adaptation to socially inclusive economic growth will be on display at the fourth annual International Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held at Columbia University Sept. 21-22.

  • Preparing for Climate-Related Food Shocks

    Preparing for Climate-Related Food Shocks

    Researchers are investigating if the projected increase in climate change-generated droughts, floods, heat waves and other intense short-term occurrences will result in increased shocks that could jeopardize food security worldwide.

  • Filling a Climate Gap and Helping Rwandan Farmers

    Filling a Climate Gap and Helping Rwandan Farmers

    Agriculture makes up a major portion of Rwanda’s economy, and employs eight in 10 Rwandans. Of course, farmers are hugely dependent on the climate, and a new project hopes to ensure they get timely information so they can plan for both good times and bad.

  • How Sustainable is Vertical Farming? Students Try to Answer the Question

    How Sustainable is Vertical Farming? Students Try to Answer the Question

    Vertical farming is touted as a solution to the drawbacks of traditional agriculture, but how sustainable is it really? A team of students attempts to design a certification system to assess the sustainability of vertical farms.