State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate change94

  • Could Global Warming’s Top Culprit Help Crops?

    Study Looks at How Carbon Dioxide Might Cut Effects of Rising Heat

  • Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: What’s Next?

    Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: What’s Next?

    “Climate change is an extreme example of what happens when you do not have sustainable development. We will not address climate change unless we change the patterns of production and consumption that drove us to this situation in the first place.”

  • Migration Mysteries of the American Robin

    Migration Mysteries of the American Robin

    Ecologist Natalie Boelman is headed back to the far north to study birds—this time to the town of Slave Lake, in northern Alberta, Canada, to track the migration of American robins. She will have some schoolchildren in New York remotely helping her as she and her colleagues get to work.

  • World Surf League Teams Up with Columbia to Support Ocean Science

    New philanthropy takes an innovative approach

  • NYC’s Public-Private Partnerships to Fight Climate Change

    NYC’s Public-Private Partnerships to Fight Climate Change

    New York City’s Carbon Challenge is helping to foster public-private partnerships that are crucial in any city’s attempt to combat climate change.

  • Almost Home, with Another 7 Million Years of Climate History

    Almost Home, with Another 7 Million Years of Climate History

    Science at sea isn’t easy, but the benefits are huge, writes Sidney Hemming in her final post from a two-month expedition that collected millions of years of climate history in the deep-sea sediment from off southern Africa.

  • Create a Climate Game—and You Could Win $10,000

    Create a Climate Game—and You Could Win $10,000

    Through the Games for Change Climate Challenge, you can be a climate game-changer.

  • 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.

  • The Damaging Effects of Black Carbon

    The Damaging Effects of Black Carbon

    Air pollution, both outdoors and indoors, causes millions of premature deaths each year. The deaths are mainly caused by the inhalation of particulate matter, especially black carbon. But black carbon not only has impacts on human health, it also affects visibility, harms ecosystems, reduces agricultural productivity and exacerbates global warming.

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.

  • Could Global Warming’s Top Culprit Help Crops?

    Study Looks at How Carbon Dioxide Might Cut Effects of Rising Heat

  • Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: What’s Next?

    Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: What’s Next?

    “Climate change is an extreme example of what happens when you do not have sustainable development. We will not address climate change unless we change the patterns of production and consumption that drove us to this situation in the first place.”

  • Migration Mysteries of the American Robin

    Migration Mysteries of the American Robin

    Ecologist Natalie Boelman is headed back to the far north to study birds—this time to the town of Slave Lake, in northern Alberta, Canada, to track the migration of American robins. She will have some schoolchildren in New York remotely helping her as she and her colleagues get to work.

  • World Surf League Teams Up with Columbia to Support Ocean Science

    New philanthropy takes an innovative approach

  • NYC’s Public-Private Partnerships to Fight Climate Change

    NYC’s Public-Private Partnerships to Fight Climate Change

    New York City’s Carbon Challenge is helping to foster public-private partnerships that are crucial in any city’s attempt to combat climate change.

  • Almost Home, with Another 7 Million Years of Climate History

    Almost Home, with Another 7 Million Years of Climate History

    Science at sea isn’t easy, but the benefits are huge, writes Sidney Hemming in her final post from a two-month expedition that collected millions of years of climate history in the deep-sea sediment from off southern Africa.

  • Create a Climate Game—and You Could Win $10,000

    Create a Climate Game—and You Could Win $10,000

    Through the Games for Change Climate Challenge, you can be a climate game-changer.

  • 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.

  • The Damaging Effects of Black Carbon

    The Damaging Effects of Black Carbon

    Air pollution, both outdoors and indoors, causes millions of premature deaths each year. The deaths are mainly caused by the inhalation of particulate matter, especially black carbon. But black carbon not only has impacts on human health, it also affects visibility, harms ecosystems, reduces agricultural productivity and exacerbates global warming.