State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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  • 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…

  • Columbia Water Center Scientists to Present New Findings at the AGU Fall Meeting

    Columbia Water Center Scientists to Present New Findings at the AGU Fall Meeting

    The American Geophysical Union’s fall conference is coming up! The meeting will be held in San Francisco from December 5th to the 9th — as usual, Columbia Water Center scientists and associates will be giving a number of presentations covering a dizzying array of topics.

  • Open House: Earth Institute Graduate Programs

    The Environmental and Sustainable Development Programs Open House is a wonderful opportunity for you to find out more about Columbia’s cutting-edge graduate degrees in sustainable development and environmental studies. We invite you to come explore our diverse offering of programs, have your application questions answered, and meet with current Columbia students and faculty. Attend the…

  • New Public Outreach Prize Goes to Earth Institute Climatologist

    New Public Outreach Prize Goes to Earth Institute Climatologist

    A major new international prize for public communication on climate-change issues has been awarded to Gavin Schmidt of the Earth Institute-affiliated NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The $25,000 Climate Communications Prize was announced today by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the world’s largest organization of earth and space scientists. Schmidt, an influential climate modeler who has authored more than…

  • Climate Scientist Studies Ancient Shorelines

    Climate Scientist Studies Ancient Shorelines

    The seas are rising, as they have during past periods of warming in earth’s history. Estimates of how high they will go in the next few thousand years range from five meters, putting greater Miami underwater, to 40 meters, wiping most of Florida off the map. “The range of estimates is huge to the point…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 9/04

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 9/04

    Hurricanes Underscore Insurers’ Lack of Climate Change Readiness, GreenBiz.com, Sept 6 In a press conference to announce the publication of a new report, Sharlene Leurig, senior manager of the insurance program at Ceres and author of the report, stated, “2011 has been a painful and important reminder that changing climate will inflict damage across the…

  • Live, from the Bottom of the Sea

    Live, from the Bottom of the Sea

    Lamont-Doherty scientist Timothy Crone is at sea off the Northwest U.S. coast, dropping sensors into the deep ocean as part of a major initiative to better understand oceans, climate and plate tectonics. Watch a live video feed from the latest dive at 3 p.m. EST.

Overhead view of Columbia campus with text Columbia Climate School Class Day 2026: Congratulations Graduates

Congratulations to our Columbia Climate School Class of 2026 and all of our 2026 Columbia University graduates! Learn more about our May 15 Climate School Class Day celebration. 💙 #Columbia2026 #ColumbiaClimate2026

  • 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…

  • Columbia Water Center Scientists to Present New Findings at the AGU Fall Meeting

    Columbia Water Center Scientists to Present New Findings at the AGU Fall Meeting

    The American Geophysical Union’s fall conference is coming up! The meeting will be held in San Francisco from December 5th to the 9th — as usual, Columbia Water Center scientists and associates will be giving a number of presentations covering a dizzying array of topics.

  • Open House: Earth Institute Graduate Programs

    The Environmental and Sustainable Development Programs Open House is a wonderful opportunity for you to find out more about Columbia’s cutting-edge graduate degrees in sustainable development and environmental studies. We invite you to come explore our diverse offering of programs, have your application questions answered, and meet with current Columbia students and faculty. Attend the…

  • New Public Outreach Prize Goes to Earth Institute Climatologist

    New Public Outreach Prize Goes to Earth Institute Climatologist

    A major new international prize for public communication on climate-change issues has been awarded to Gavin Schmidt of the Earth Institute-affiliated NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The $25,000 Climate Communications Prize was announced today by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the world’s largest organization of earth and space scientists. Schmidt, an influential climate modeler who has authored more than…

  • Climate Scientist Studies Ancient Shorelines

    Climate Scientist Studies Ancient Shorelines

    The seas are rising, as they have during past periods of warming in earth’s history. Estimates of how high they will go in the next few thousand years range from five meters, putting greater Miami underwater, to 40 meters, wiping most of Florida off the map. “The range of estimates is huge to the point…

  • Climate News Roundup: Week of 9/04

    Climate News Roundup: Week of 9/04

    Hurricanes Underscore Insurers’ Lack of Climate Change Readiness, GreenBiz.com, Sept 6 In a press conference to announce the publication of a new report, Sharlene Leurig, senior manager of the insurance program at Ceres and author of the report, stated, “2011 has been a painful and important reminder that changing climate will inflict damage across the…

  • Live, from the Bottom of the Sea

    Live, from the Bottom of the Sea

    Lamont-Doherty scientist Timothy Crone is at sea off the Northwest U.S. coast, dropping sensors into the deep ocean as part of a major initiative to better understand oceans, climate and plate tectonics. Watch a live video feed from the latest dive at 3 p.m. EST.