State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate change115

  • What Anthropologists Can Do About Climate

    What Anthropologists Can Do About Climate

    How can the full range of the social sciences be brought into research on climate change and the search for solutions? The roles of economics and political science seem crucial, since pricing mechanisms and policies are needed to promote mitigation and to support adaptation. Psychology explores the ways to make this problem, often seen as…

  • Students Travel to Jordan and Israel to Learn About Environmental Issues

    Students Travel to Jordan and Israel to Learn About Environmental Issues

    Nine Columbia students traveled to the Middle East last weekend to learn about how two countries in the region, Jordan and Israel, are cooperating on environmental issues and managing shared natural resources such as water. The students, led by Beth Fisher Yoshida, academic director of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program, and Shahar Sadeh, academic…

  • Heat-Related Deaths in Manhattan Projected to Rise

    Killing Season May Push Into Spring and Fall, Says Study

  • Building the Team

    Building the Team

    The Lamont IcePod team is a blended mix of engineers and scientists learning from each other through the design and testing of this new instrument. With a range of talents and backgrounds, the project mixes seasoned field workers with those new to field work; experienced instrument developers with those newly learning this end of engineering;…

  • The Sahel Is Getting Wetter, But Will It Last?

    The Sahel Is Getting Wetter, But Will It Last?

    New research gives a unifying explanation of the Sahel’s past, present and future climate patterns.

  • Until We Get It Right

    Until We Get It Right

    When we left Stratton Air Field almost two weeks ago, I recall smiling when a mechanical issue temporarily pulled us from the aircraft and the woman shepherding us back into the waiting area remarked, “Don’t worry, we keep doing it until we get it right!” Today we are faced with just that type of day.

  • Weaving the Data Strands Together

    Weaving the Data Strands Together

    Holidays vary around the world with their dates and traditions, so it should have come as no surprise that we would find a holiday in our scheduled Greenland visit. Today, April 26, is “Store Bededag,” which translates as “Great Prayer Day,” brought by the Danish to Greenland when they ventured to this island from their…

  • ‘Chasing Ice’: Watching History Unfold, and Disappear

    ‘Chasing Ice’: Watching History Unfold, and Disappear

    Near the end of “Chasing Ice,” a hunk of glacier the size of lower Manhattan explodes, rolls and crashes into the sea. If that sounds like a spoiler, well, go see the movie and you’ll know you would have known it was coming anyway. And the beauty of the movie is that it will still…

  • An Ice Landing

    An Ice Landing

    Ice sheets are large enough that they can create their own weather. Large mountains of ice several miles thick, they stretch into higher elevations and gather the clouds around them. The sunny but cold weather (-21 to -9 degrees C) is a tease to the group ready each morning and waiting for clearance, day after…

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • What Anthropologists Can Do About Climate

    What Anthropologists Can Do About Climate

    How can the full range of the social sciences be brought into research on climate change and the search for solutions? The roles of economics and political science seem crucial, since pricing mechanisms and policies are needed to promote mitigation and to support adaptation. Psychology explores the ways to make this problem, often seen as…

  • Students Travel to Jordan and Israel to Learn About Environmental Issues

    Students Travel to Jordan and Israel to Learn About Environmental Issues

    Nine Columbia students traveled to the Middle East last weekend to learn about how two countries in the region, Jordan and Israel, are cooperating on environmental issues and managing shared natural resources such as water. The students, led by Beth Fisher Yoshida, academic director of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program, and Shahar Sadeh, academic…

  • Heat-Related Deaths in Manhattan Projected to Rise

    Killing Season May Push Into Spring and Fall, Says Study

  • Building the Team

    Building the Team

    The Lamont IcePod team is a blended mix of engineers and scientists learning from each other through the design and testing of this new instrument. With a range of talents and backgrounds, the project mixes seasoned field workers with those new to field work; experienced instrument developers with those newly learning this end of engineering;…

  • The Sahel Is Getting Wetter, But Will It Last?

    The Sahel Is Getting Wetter, But Will It Last?

    New research gives a unifying explanation of the Sahel’s past, present and future climate patterns.

  • Until We Get It Right

    Until We Get It Right

    When we left Stratton Air Field almost two weeks ago, I recall smiling when a mechanical issue temporarily pulled us from the aircraft and the woman shepherding us back into the waiting area remarked, “Don’t worry, we keep doing it until we get it right!” Today we are faced with just that type of day.

  • Weaving the Data Strands Together

    Weaving the Data Strands Together

    Holidays vary around the world with their dates and traditions, so it should have come as no surprise that we would find a holiday in our scheduled Greenland visit. Today, April 26, is “Store Bededag,” which translates as “Great Prayer Day,” brought by the Danish to Greenland when they ventured to this island from their…

  • ‘Chasing Ice’: Watching History Unfold, and Disappear

    ‘Chasing Ice’: Watching History Unfold, and Disappear

    Near the end of “Chasing Ice,” a hunk of glacier the size of lower Manhattan explodes, rolls and crashes into the sea. If that sounds like a spoiler, well, go see the movie and you’ll know you would have known it was coming anyway. And the beauty of the movie is that it will still…

  • An Ice Landing

    An Ice Landing

    Ice sheets are large enough that they can create their own weather. Large mountains of ice several miles thick, they stretch into higher elevations and gather the clouds around them. The sunny but cold weather (-21 to -9 degrees C) is a tease to the group ready each morning and waiting for clearance, day after…