State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate change115

  • Disaster Readiness Center Joins Earth Institute

    Shaping Local, Global Responses to Natural and Manmade Threats

  • Climate-Vulnerable Species in Need of Conservation Attention

    Climate-Vulnerable Species in Need of Conservation Attention

    As the Earth progressively warms with climate change, species that are not able to adapt to shifting temperatures will be propelled towards extinction. Yet according to a new study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published in research journal Plos One, the majority of species that are most vulnerable to climate change…

  • Urban Trees Fight CO2 Emissions

    Urban Trees Fight CO2 Emissions

    Trees play a vital role in cleaning air and absorbing carbon dioxide.

  • Ancient Rocks, Modern Purpose

    Ancient Rocks, Modern Purpose

    The desert sultanate of Oman is home to some of the weirdest—and possibly most useful—rocks on earth. The stark Hajar mountains, near the border with Saudi Arabia, contain a chunk of earth’s mantle—a zone that makes up most of earth’s mass, but normally lies inaccessible to humans, far below the surface. Here, though, a sliver…

  • What’s the Real Story With Clean Coal?

    What’s the Real Story With Clean Coal?

    The Obama administration will propose new rules to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. But is “clean coal” technology up to the job?

  • Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: Taiga to Tundra

    Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: Taiga to Tundra

    In the nine-hour drive on the great Dalton Highway to Toolik Field Station one starts out in the boreal forest, which is also called the “taiga,” but the forest eventually disappears. More accurately, trees disappear. Leaving Fairbanks, one drives through beautiful stands of spruce, birch, and aspen trees, but as one gets closer and closer…

  • Science in the Streets

    Science in the Streets

    What motivates artists may be different than what motivates scientists, but they can investigate similar ideas. Artists interested in sustainability issues might team up with scientists to make sure their work is accurate. Scientists benefit from art projects that communicate their research to a broader audience than would normally read a journal article. However, the…

  • Finding Solutions to Environmental Conflict: Q&A With Josh Fisher

    Finding Solutions to Environmental Conflict: Q&A With Josh Fisher

    In a rapidly warming world, conflicts inevitably arise between those affected by dwindling resources and changing climate conditions. Josh Fisher’s work centers on trying to avert conflict and provide opportunities for cooperation through understanding the relationships between conflict, environment and development.

  • Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: The Quest for the Arctic Wolf

    Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: The Quest for the Arctic Wolf

    When you travel northbound on Alaska’s famous Dalton Highway heading toward the Arctic Sea, the northern edge of the world, you carry a radio to communicate with the enormous rigs that roar along the road, the giant trucks made famous by the History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers. Radio messages between truckers and non-truckers are simple…

Colorful icons representing nature, sustainable living, and renewable energy with text "Earth Day 2026"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. Today, our scientists and experts are tackling the most pressing challenges to achieve real-world impact. This Earth Day, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • Disaster Readiness Center Joins Earth Institute

    Shaping Local, Global Responses to Natural and Manmade Threats

  • Climate-Vulnerable Species in Need of Conservation Attention

    Climate-Vulnerable Species in Need of Conservation Attention

    As the Earth progressively warms with climate change, species that are not able to adapt to shifting temperatures will be propelled towards extinction. Yet according to a new study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published in research journal Plos One, the majority of species that are most vulnerable to climate change…

  • Urban Trees Fight CO2 Emissions

    Urban Trees Fight CO2 Emissions

    Trees play a vital role in cleaning air and absorbing carbon dioxide.

  • Ancient Rocks, Modern Purpose

    Ancient Rocks, Modern Purpose

    The desert sultanate of Oman is home to some of the weirdest—and possibly most useful—rocks on earth. The stark Hajar mountains, near the border with Saudi Arabia, contain a chunk of earth’s mantle—a zone that makes up most of earth’s mass, but normally lies inaccessible to humans, far below the surface. Here, though, a sliver…

  • What’s the Real Story With Clean Coal?

    What’s the Real Story With Clean Coal?

    The Obama administration will propose new rules to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. But is “clean coal” technology up to the job?

  • Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: Taiga to Tundra

    Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: Taiga to Tundra

    In the nine-hour drive on the great Dalton Highway to Toolik Field Station one starts out in the boreal forest, which is also called the “taiga,” but the forest eventually disappears. More accurately, trees disappear. Leaving Fairbanks, one drives through beautiful stands of spruce, birch, and aspen trees, but as one gets closer and closer…

  • Science in the Streets

    Science in the Streets

    What motivates artists may be different than what motivates scientists, but they can investigate similar ideas. Artists interested in sustainability issues might team up with scientists to make sure their work is accurate. Scientists benefit from art projects that communicate their research to a broader audience than would normally read a journal article. However, the…

  • Finding Solutions to Environmental Conflict: Q&A With Josh Fisher

    Finding Solutions to Environmental Conflict: Q&A With Josh Fisher

    In a rapidly warming world, conflicts inevitably arise between those affected by dwindling resources and changing climate conditions. Josh Fisher’s work centers on trying to avert conflict and provide opportunities for cooperation through understanding the relationships between conflict, environment and development.

  • Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: The Quest for the Arctic Wolf

    Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: The Quest for the Arctic Wolf

    When you travel northbound on Alaska’s famous Dalton Highway heading toward the Arctic Sea, the northern edge of the world, you carry a radio to communicate with the enormous rigs that roar along the road, the giant trucks made famous by the History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers. Radio messages between truckers and non-truckers are simple…