State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate change86

  • James Hansen Honored for Pioneering Work in Climate Change Modeling

    James Hansen Honored for Pioneering Work in Climate Change Modeling

    James Hansen, director of the Program on Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions at the Earth Institute and former director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, is being honored with the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change.

  • How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    Climate change is already affecting New York, and these changes will have profound effects on its ecosystems, plants and animals. What are the implications of these projected changes?

  • Environmental Science and Speaking Truth to Power

    Environmental Science and Speaking Truth to Power

    Denying the science of global warming is absurd, but accepting the science of climate change does not require decision-makers to accept the policy prescriptions of climate scientists.

  • Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    The Earth Institute digs into the past, tracks the present and models the future of climate. We explore the broader issues surrounding climate change, seek ways to apply our knowledge to real solutions, and nurture collaboration among faculty and researchers in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, law, public health, engineering, architecture and urban…

  • State of the Arctic: Longer Melting Seasons, Thinning Sea Ice

    State of the Arctic: Longer Melting Seasons, Thinning Sea Ice

    The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and scientists are seeing the effects across ice and ecosystems. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Marco Tedesco describes the changes underway.

  • Spy Satellites Reveal the Himalayas’ Changing Glaciers – in 3D

    Spy Satellites Reveal the Himalayas’ Changing Glaciers – in 3D

    Declassified spy satellite images are beginning to provide the first consistent look at how glaciers across the Himalayas are changing and what future water supplies might look like for millions of people.

  • The Undermining of Climate Science

    The Undermining of Climate Science

    The election of Donald Trump has climate scientists concerned about its implications for U.S. environmental policies and worldwide efforts to curb the effects of climate change. Many fear that climate science under Trump could be strategically undermined in a variety of ways.

  • Most of Greenland Ice Melted to Bedrock in Recent Geologic Past, Says Study

    Finding Suggests the Ice Sheet Is More Vulnerable Than Thought

  • When Permafrost Melts, What Happens to All That Stored Carbon?

    When Permafrost Melts, What Happens to All That Stored Carbon?

    A new study documents evidence of a massive release of carbon from Siberian permafrost as temperatures rose at the end of the last ice age.

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

  • James Hansen Honored for Pioneering Work in Climate Change Modeling

    James Hansen Honored for Pioneering Work in Climate Change Modeling

    James Hansen, director of the Program on Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions at the Earth Institute and former director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, is being honored with the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change.

  • How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    Climate change is already affecting New York, and these changes will have profound effects on its ecosystems, plants and animals. What are the implications of these projected changes?

  • Environmental Science and Speaking Truth to Power

    Environmental Science and Speaking Truth to Power

    Denying the science of global warming is absurd, but accepting the science of climate change does not require decision-makers to accept the policy prescriptions of climate scientists.

  • Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    The Earth Institute digs into the past, tracks the present and models the future of climate. We explore the broader issues surrounding climate change, seek ways to apply our knowledge to real solutions, and nurture collaboration among faculty and researchers in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, law, public health, engineering, architecture and urban…

  • State of the Arctic: Longer Melting Seasons, Thinning Sea Ice

    State of the Arctic: Longer Melting Seasons, Thinning Sea Ice

    The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and scientists are seeing the effects across ice and ecosystems. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Marco Tedesco describes the changes underway.

  • Spy Satellites Reveal the Himalayas’ Changing Glaciers – in 3D

    Spy Satellites Reveal the Himalayas’ Changing Glaciers – in 3D

    Declassified spy satellite images are beginning to provide the first consistent look at how glaciers across the Himalayas are changing and what future water supplies might look like for millions of people.

  • The Undermining of Climate Science

    The Undermining of Climate Science

    The election of Donald Trump has climate scientists concerned about its implications for U.S. environmental policies and worldwide efforts to curb the effects of climate change. Many fear that climate science under Trump could be strategically undermined in a variety of ways.

  • Most of Greenland Ice Melted to Bedrock in Recent Geologic Past, Says Study

    Finding Suggests the Ice Sheet Is More Vulnerable Than Thought

  • When Permafrost Melts, What Happens to All That Stored Carbon?

    When Permafrost Melts, What Happens to All That Stored Carbon?

    A new study documents evidence of a massive release of carbon from Siberian permafrost as temperatures rose at the end of the last ice age.