State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate matters27

  • The State of the Arctic

    Where climate change is concerned, the Arctic region acts as a harbinger: the extremely sensitive Arctic system reacts earlier and more profoundly to anthropogenic climate change than many other regions. And as climate change progresses, it is also projected to experience greater environmental changes than other places on earth. As such, it has become an…

  • Do I Want It in My Backyard? Yes I Do!

    Coining a new phrase is a great way to change an old attitude, was my initial thought when I first read about “YIMFY” or “yes in my front yard”, a phrase introduced in a report from the International Energy Agency.It is a play on the well-known negative “not in my back yard”, but in reverse…

  • What Does the Science Say?

    The negotiations in Copenhagen have been handled by politicians and policy makers. But there would be no climate negotiations if climate scientists had not identified evidence that humans could disrupt the natural carbon cycle, and affect the climate system. The fact that some 50,000 people and the heads of most nations have come together indicates…

  • Using Climate Information for Humanitarian Assistance

    Using Climate and Weather Forecasts to Improve Humanitarian Decision Making

  • The Long and Winding Road to Copenhagen

    A lot of hopes have been placed on the Fifteenth Conference of Parties (COP-15) which began earlier this week in Copenhagen.  Convened on December 7, the conference has been considered by many our best hope at keeping global temperature from rising to what many researchers consider potentially dangerous levels. The gathering of delegates from throughout…

  • Climate and Meningitis in Africa

    A new Google Earth tour explores the link between climate and meningitis outbreaks in Africa.

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/22

    Industrialized Nations Unveil Plans to Rein in Emissions, The New York Times A succession of countries in the U.N. makes national pledges to reduce emissions in a hopeful precursor to climate negotiations in December. Mr. de Boer, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change executive secretary, identified targets from every major developed country except…

  • Agriculture and its Discontents: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

    In 1943, Norman Borlaug began his research into new varieties of wheat that could feed the burgeoning population of Mexico.  Invited by the Mexican government and funded largely by international philanthropic organizations, Borlaug’s research began what we now refer to as the Green Revolution. Over the next 13 years, Mexico became agriculturally self-sufficient, and in…

  • Event: The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges: An Overview and Focus on Water

    The Columbia Climate Center, in collaboration with the Columbia Water Center and the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, invites you to attend “The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges: An Overview and Focus on Water,” on Tuesday, November 24 at 3 pm. The event will feature Charles Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering and President…

  • The State of the Arctic

    Where climate change is concerned, the Arctic region acts as a harbinger: the extremely sensitive Arctic system reacts earlier and more profoundly to anthropogenic climate change than many other regions. And as climate change progresses, it is also projected to experience greater environmental changes than other places on earth. As such, it has become an…

  • Do I Want It in My Backyard? Yes I Do!

    Coining a new phrase is a great way to change an old attitude, was my initial thought when I first read about “YIMFY” or “yes in my front yard”, a phrase introduced in a report from the International Energy Agency.It is a play on the well-known negative “not in my back yard”, but in reverse…

  • What Does the Science Say?

    The negotiations in Copenhagen have been handled by politicians and policy makers. But there would be no climate negotiations if climate scientists had not identified evidence that humans could disrupt the natural carbon cycle, and affect the climate system. The fact that some 50,000 people and the heads of most nations have come together indicates…

  • Using Climate Information for Humanitarian Assistance

    Using Climate and Weather Forecasts to Improve Humanitarian Decision Making

  • The Long and Winding Road to Copenhagen

    A lot of hopes have been placed on the Fifteenth Conference of Parties (COP-15) which began earlier this week in Copenhagen.  Convened on December 7, the conference has been considered by many our best hope at keeping global temperature from rising to what many researchers consider potentially dangerous levels. The gathering of delegates from throughout…

  • Climate and Meningitis in Africa

    A new Google Earth tour explores the link between climate and meningitis outbreaks in Africa.

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 11/22

    Industrialized Nations Unveil Plans to Rein in Emissions, The New York Times A succession of countries in the U.N. makes national pledges to reduce emissions in a hopeful precursor to climate negotiations in December. Mr. de Boer, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change executive secretary, identified targets from every major developed country except…

  • Agriculture and its Discontents: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

    In 1943, Norman Borlaug began his research into new varieties of wheat that could feed the burgeoning population of Mexico.  Invited by the Mexican government and funded largely by international philanthropic organizations, Borlaug’s research began what we now refer to as the Green Revolution. Over the next 13 years, Mexico became agriculturally self-sufficient, and in…

  • Event: The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges: An Overview and Focus on Water

    The Columbia Climate Center, in collaboration with the Columbia Water Center and the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, invites you to attend “The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges: An Overview and Focus on Water,” on Tuesday, November 24 at 3 pm. The event will feature Charles Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering and President…