State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/01

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/01

    EPA to impose first greenhouse gas limits on power plants, Washington Post, Mar 27 The US EPA issued its first regulations addressing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The regulation is a New Source Performance Standard, meaning that it applies only to new power plants that are not yet permitted or under construction. The standard…

  • Plugging the Leaks in Climate Models

    Plugging the Leaks in Climate Models

    Independent quality controls for climate models are crucial for the quality of future climate change predictions. Not all models are equally good and should be utilized in climate impact studies for such things as crop yield and hydrology that are produced for far-reaching decision-making.

  • Fixing Climate: Beyond Carbon Dioxide

    Fixing Climate: Beyond Carbon Dioxide

    Climate scientists at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this week were elated to hear that the United States and five other countries had agreed to work toward cutting pollutants other than carbon dioxide thought to cause about a third of current human-influenced global warming. After all, many of them…

  • Global Climate Modeling for the Masses: You Can Try This at Home

    Global Climate Modeling for the Masses: You Can Try This at Home

    Since 2005, the Educational Global Climate Modeling Project has been downloaded 50,000 times, and adopted for teaching and research at hundreds of universities and other institutions.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/6

    Three States to Require Insurers to Disclose Climate-Change Response Plans, New York Times 2/2 California, New York and Washington have announced a new requirement for insurance companies to disclose their plans for responding to climate change risks. The new regulation expands a requirement already in place for the largest insurers in those states. While insurance companies…

  • Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Relatively cheap, simple steps using existing technologies could cut projected global warming by one degree Fahrenheit – a substantial amount — by focusing on sources of methane and soot, concludes a new study by an international team of scientists.

  • Ancient Dry Spells, Future Risk?

    Ancient Dry Spells, Future Risk?

    The last major drought to hit the northeastern U.S. lasted three years and shrunk New York City’s reservoirs by nearly three quarters. But as bad as that drought was, the region has seen at least three dry spells in the last 6,000 years that were far worse, says Dorothy Peteet, a climate scientist at Columbia…

  • 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…

  • Columbia Climate Center Hosts Workshop on Carbon Management Education and Practice

    The Columbia Climate Center convened a workshop, “Carbon Management Education and Practice” at Columbia University on November 3-4, 2011. Over 30 participants from academia, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and government met to discuss the emergence and contours of carbon management as a new educational and professional field. Two days of panels and presentations provided…

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/01

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 4/01

    EPA to impose first greenhouse gas limits on power plants, Washington Post, Mar 27 The US EPA issued its first regulations addressing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The regulation is a New Source Performance Standard, meaning that it applies only to new power plants that are not yet permitted or under construction. The standard…

  • Plugging the Leaks in Climate Models

    Plugging the Leaks in Climate Models

    Independent quality controls for climate models are crucial for the quality of future climate change predictions. Not all models are equally good and should be utilized in climate impact studies for such things as crop yield and hydrology that are produced for far-reaching decision-making.

  • Fixing Climate: Beyond Carbon Dioxide

    Fixing Climate: Beyond Carbon Dioxide

    Climate scientists at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this week were elated to hear that the United States and five other countries had agreed to work toward cutting pollutants other than carbon dioxide thought to cause about a third of current human-influenced global warming. After all, many of them…

  • Global Climate Modeling for the Masses: You Can Try This at Home

    Global Climate Modeling for the Masses: You Can Try This at Home

    Since 2005, the Educational Global Climate Modeling Project has been downloaded 50,000 times, and adopted for teaching and research at hundreds of universities and other institutions.

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/6

    Three States to Require Insurers to Disclose Climate-Change Response Plans, New York Times 2/2 California, New York and Washington have announced a new requirement for insurance companies to disclose their plans for responding to climate change risks. The new regulation expands a requirement already in place for the largest insurers in those states. While insurance companies…

  • Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming

    Relatively cheap, simple steps using existing technologies could cut projected global warming by one degree Fahrenheit – a substantial amount — by focusing on sources of methane and soot, concludes a new study by an international team of scientists.

  • Ancient Dry Spells, Future Risk?

    Ancient Dry Spells, Future Risk?

    The last major drought to hit the northeastern U.S. lasted three years and shrunk New York City’s reservoirs by nearly three quarters. But as bad as that drought was, the region has seen at least three dry spells in the last 6,000 years that were far worse, says Dorothy Peteet, a climate scientist at Columbia…

  • 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…

  • Columbia Climate Center Hosts Workshop on Carbon Management Education and Practice

    The Columbia Climate Center convened a workshop, “Carbon Management Education and Practice” at Columbia University on November 3-4, 2011. Over 30 participants from academia, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and government met to discuss the emergence and contours of carbon management as a new educational and professional field. Two days of panels and presentations provided…