State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate change126

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/01

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/01

    Police Inquiry Prompts New Speculation on Who Leaked Climate-Change E-mails, Jan 1, New York Times Speculation has revived about the identity of the hacker responsible for releasing more than 1,000 private e-mails on the Internet in an attempt to discredit climate scientists. In November, another round of e-mails between scientists were distributed online before the…

  • Evolutionary Psychology of Climate Change

    Evolutionary Psychology of Climate Change

    Why haven’t we rallied our collective power to mitigate climate change? Daniel Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, argues that human brains evolved to respond to threats that have four features, ones that global warming lack.

  • In Himalayas, Assessing Climate Threats to Ice, and Water Supply

    Bhutan’s Melting Glaciers May Affect Farming, Hydropower, Floods

  • From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    Oceans turned more acidic during a period of great warming some 56 million years ago, causing an extinction of bottom-dwelling marine species known as foraminifera, a scenario that may be happening again now, only much more quickly.

  • High Hopes and Low Expectations for 17th UN Climate Change Conference

    High Hopes and Low Expectations for 17th UN Climate Change Conference

    Numerous please for comprehensive action aimed at the 17th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa have been issued. However, many doubt that meaningful policies will be passed and have criticized the United States’ position in these talks.

  • Under the Dead Sea, Warnings on Climate and Earthquakes

    Under the Dead Sea, Warnings on Climate and Earthquakes

          An international team of scientists drilling deep under the bed of the Dead Sea has found evidence that the sea may have dried up during a past warm period analogous to scenarios for climate change in coming decades. With nations in the volatile region already running short on water, the finding could be a…

  • New York State May Soon Suffer Outsize Effects from Climate, Says Report

    From Farms to Subways, Many Sectors Could Be Affected

  • Trees on Tundra’s Border Are Growing Faster in a Hotter Climate

    Measuring Techniques Improve—But Implications Are Not Certain

  • Asia’s Motown Meets Waterworld–The Global Water Supply Chain Crisis

    Asia’s Motown Meets Waterworld–The Global Water Supply Chain Crisis

    Since July, an almost unceasing torrent of rain has soaked Thailand, flooding farms, roads, factories, and finally Bangkok itself, a city of some 12 million people; so far at least 500 people have died. To date the government has ordered evacuations of 12 of the city’s 50 districts, even as water continues to creep through…

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/01

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 1/01

    Police Inquiry Prompts New Speculation on Who Leaked Climate-Change E-mails, Jan 1, New York Times Speculation has revived about the identity of the hacker responsible for releasing more than 1,000 private e-mails on the Internet in an attempt to discredit climate scientists. In November, another round of e-mails between scientists were distributed online before the…

  • Evolutionary Psychology of Climate Change

    Evolutionary Psychology of Climate Change

    Why haven’t we rallied our collective power to mitigate climate change? Daniel Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, argues that human brains evolved to respond to threats that have four features, ones that global warming lack.

  • In Himalayas, Assessing Climate Threats to Ice, and Water Supply

    Bhutan’s Melting Glaciers May Affect Farming, Hydropower, Floods

  • From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    From Distant Past, Lessons on Ocean Acidification

    Oceans turned more acidic during a period of great warming some 56 million years ago, causing an extinction of bottom-dwelling marine species known as foraminifera, a scenario that may be happening again now, only much more quickly.

  • High Hopes and Low Expectations for 17th UN Climate Change Conference

    High Hopes and Low Expectations for 17th UN Climate Change Conference

    Numerous please for comprehensive action aimed at the 17th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa have been issued. However, many doubt that meaningful policies will be passed and have criticized the United States’ position in these talks.

  • Under the Dead Sea, Warnings on Climate and Earthquakes

    Under the Dead Sea, Warnings on Climate and Earthquakes

          An international team of scientists drilling deep under the bed of the Dead Sea has found evidence that the sea may have dried up during a past warm period analogous to scenarios for climate change in coming decades. With nations in the volatile region already running short on water, the finding could be a…

  • New York State May Soon Suffer Outsize Effects from Climate, Says Report

    From Farms to Subways, Many Sectors Could Be Affected

  • Trees on Tundra’s Border Are Growing Faster in a Hotter Climate

    Measuring Techniques Improve—But Implications Are Not Certain

  • Asia’s Motown Meets Waterworld–The Global Water Supply Chain Crisis

    Asia’s Motown Meets Waterworld–The Global Water Supply Chain Crisis

    Since July, an almost unceasing torrent of rain has soaked Thailand, flooding farms, roads, factories, and finally Bangkok itself, a city of some 12 million people; so far at least 500 people have died. To date the government has ordered evacuations of 12 of the city’s 50 districts, even as water continues to creep through…