State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate matters36

  • Climate change and the hydrological cycle

    The prospects of significant and damaging changes in the hydrological cycle due to the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations were raised in earlier IPCC reports and restated more strongly in the most recent, 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Now, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) issued its final Synthesis and Assessment Report on…

  • Around the world: Canada, Part 1

    Periodically I’ll be taking a look at how countries other than the Big Four are faring in the fight against severe global warming, as commentators tend to focus on the United States, China, India and the European Union. This is the first in a two-part post on Canada. Oh, Canada! Our enlightened neighbor to the…

  • Abrupt Climate Change, How Likely?

    Yesterday the USGS released “Abrupt Climate Change, Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 3.4” of  the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. You can download the four page brochure or the full report here.  Columbia scientists Edward R. Cook (the lead author) and Richard Seager, both from Lamont-Doherty Earth…

  • Biofuels, food security, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity

    Biofuel use is one of the strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that has already been incorporated into policy and regulatory frameworks. However, it has become increasingly evident that biofuel production has unintended consequences that extend beyond national boundaries and beyond the energy sector. Chief among these are concerns for food security. The food…

  • Finance, Climate, and Faust

    I lifted the title of this entry directly from last week’s Earth and Environmental Science colloquium at Lamont. The talk, given by Dr. Berrien Moore of Climate Central, revolved around the idea that complex systems have inherent instabilities. Using the current financial situation as an example, Moore argued that such systems are marked by important…

  • Climate matters, and most of the world agrees

    Climate matters, and that’s not just the opinion of the Columbia Climate Center. Recent surveys in the US and overseas indicate that most people see climate change as a threat; even those that don’t consider it a serious problem agree that it is worth addressing. In a recent survey of twelve countries, made by HSBC…

  • Welcome to Climate Matters @ Columbia!

    Welcome to Climate Matters @ Columbia, a new blog coming out of the recently formed Columbia Climate Center from the Earth Institute, Columbia University. On Climate Matters, we’ll talk about all things climate: from basic climate science to policy considerations, from the climate impacts on public health to using conservation of biodiversity as a strategy…

  • Climate change and the hydrological cycle

    The prospects of significant and damaging changes in the hydrological cycle due to the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations were raised in earlier IPCC reports and restated more strongly in the most recent, 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Now, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) issued its final Synthesis and Assessment Report on…

  • Around the world: Canada, Part 1

    Periodically I’ll be taking a look at how countries other than the Big Four are faring in the fight against severe global warming, as commentators tend to focus on the United States, China, India and the European Union. This is the first in a two-part post on Canada. Oh, Canada! Our enlightened neighbor to the…

  • Abrupt Climate Change, How Likely?

    Yesterday the USGS released “Abrupt Climate Change, Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 3.4” of  the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. You can download the four page brochure or the full report here.  Columbia scientists Edward R. Cook (the lead author) and Richard Seager, both from Lamont-Doherty Earth…

  • Biofuels, food security, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity

    Biofuel use is one of the strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that has already been incorporated into policy and regulatory frameworks. However, it has become increasingly evident that biofuel production has unintended consequences that extend beyond national boundaries and beyond the energy sector. Chief among these are concerns for food security. The food…

  • Finance, Climate, and Faust

    I lifted the title of this entry directly from last week’s Earth and Environmental Science colloquium at Lamont. The talk, given by Dr. Berrien Moore of Climate Central, revolved around the idea that complex systems have inherent instabilities. Using the current financial situation as an example, Moore argued that such systems are marked by important…

  • Climate matters, and most of the world agrees

    Climate matters, and that’s not just the opinion of the Columbia Climate Center. Recent surveys in the US and overseas indicate that most people see climate change as a threat; even those that don’t consider it a serious problem agree that it is worth addressing. In a recent survey of twelve countries, made by HSBC…

  • Welcome to Climate Matters @ Columbia!

    Welcome to Climate Matters @ Columbia, a new blog coming out of the recently formed Columbia Climate Center from the Earth Institute, Columbia University. On Climate Matters, we’ll talk about all things climate: from basic climate science to policy considerations, from the climate impacts on public health to using conservation of biodiversity as a strategy…