State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

climate23

  • Photo Essay: Climate Change, Sea Level and the Vikings

    Photo Essay: Climate Change, Sea Level and the Vikings

    A thousand years ago, powerful Viking chieftans flourished in Norway’s Lofoten Islands, above the Arctic Circle. In an environment frequently hovering on the edge of survivability, small shifts in climate or sea level could mean life or death. People had to constantly adapt, making their living from the land and the sea as best they…

  • What the Vikings Can Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

    What the Vikings Can Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

    The rise of the Vikings was not a sudden event, but part of a long continuum of human development in the harsh conditions of northern Scandinavia. How did the Vikings make a living over the long term, and what might have influenced their brief florescence? Today, their experiences may provide a kind of object lesson…

  • Climate May Quickly Drive Forest-Eating Beetles North, Says Study

    Climate May Quickly Drive Forest-Eating Beetles North, Says Study

    Over the next few decades, global warming-related rises in winter temperatures could significantly extend the range of the southern pine beetle, one of the world’s most aggressive tree-killing insects, through much of the northern United States and southern Canada, says a new study.

  • Women May Bear the Brunt of Climate Change’s Impacts

    Women May Bear the Brunt of Climate Change’s Impacts

    The effects of climate change aren’t equitable from a gender perspective; women are generally disproportionately impacted by climate change in comparison to their male counterparts.

  • The Gendered Role of Climate Change

    The Gendered Role of Climate Change

    Globally, women are disproportionately affected by rising seas, too much or too little rainfall, and storm surges, all as a result of a changing climate.

  • Surging Heat May Limit Aircraft Takeoffs Globally

    Surging Heat May Limit Aircraft Takeoffs Globally

    Rising temperatures due to global warming will make it harder for many aircraft around the world to take off in coming decades, says a new study. During the hottest parts of the day, 10 to 30 percent of fully loaded planes may have to remove some fuel, cargo or passengers, or else wait for cooler…

  • Warming Climate Could Abruptly Increase Rain in Africa’s Sahel

    Warming Climate Could Abruptly Increase Rain in Africa’s Sahel

    Climate change could turn one of Africa’s driest regions wet, according to a new study. Scientists have found evidence in computer simulations for a possible abrupt change in the Sahel, a region long characterized by aridity and political instability. In the study, just published in the journal Earth System Dynamics, the authors detected a self-amplifying…

  • Watch Video–Sea Level Rise: Causes, Impacts and Options for Solutions

    Watch Video–Sea Level Rise: Causes, Impacts and Options for Solutions

    On July 12, the Earth Institute will bring together experts from science, government and the private sector to discuss causes, implications and potential adaptation strategies for sea level rise.

  • Fueled by Melting Glaciers, Algae Bloom Off Greenland

    Fueled by Melting Glaciers, Algae Bloom Off Greenland

    Iron particles catching a ride on glacial meltwater washed out to sea are likely fueling a recently discovered summer algal bloom off the southern coast of Greenland, according to a new study. Microalgae, also known as phytoplankton, are plant-like marine microorganisms that form the base of the food web in many parts of the ocean.…

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

  • Photo Essay: Climate Change, Sea Level and the Vikings

    Photo Essay: Climate Change, Sea Level and the Vikings

    A thousand years ago, powerful Viking chieftans flourished in Norway’s Lofoten Islands, above the Arctic Circle. In an environment frequently hovering on the edge of survivability, small shifts in climate or sea level could mean life or death. People had to constantly adapt, making their living from the land and the sea as best they…

  • What the Vikings Can Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

    What the Vikings Can Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

    The rise of the Vikings was not a sudden event, but part of a long continuum of human development in the harsh conditions of northern Scandinavia. How did the Vikings make a living over the long term, and what might have influenced their brief florescence? Today, their experiences may provide a kind of object lesson…

  • Climate May Quickly Drive Forest-Eating Beetles North, Says Study

    Climate May Quickly Drive Forest-Eating Beetles North, Says Study

    Over the next few decades, global warming-related rises in winter temperatures could significantly extend the range of the southern pine beetle, one of the world’s most aggressive tree-killing insects, through much of the northern United States and southern Canada, says a new study.

  • Women May Bear the Brunt of Climate Change’s Impacts

    Women May Bear the Brunt of Climate Change’s Impacts

    The effects of climate change aren’t equitable from a gender perspective; women are generally disproportionately impacted by climate change in comparison to their male counterparts.

  • The Gendered Role of Climate Change

    The Gendered Role of Climate Change

    Globally, women are disproportionately affected by rising seas, too much or too little rainfall, and storm surges, all as a result of a changing climate.

  • Surging Heat May Limit Aircraft Takeoffs Globally

    Surging Heat May Limit Aircraft Takeoffs Globally

    Rising temperatures due to global warming will make it harder for many aircraft around the world to take off in coming decades, says a new study. During the hottest parts of the day, 10 to 30 percent of fully loaded planes may have to remove some fuel, cargo or passengers, or else wait for cooler…

  • Warming Climate Could Abruptly Increase Rain in Africa’s Sahel

    Warming Climate Could Abruptly Increase Rain in Africa’s Sahel

    Climate change could turn one of Africa’s driest regions wet, according to a new study. Scientists have found evidence in computer simulations for a possible abrupt change in the Sahel, a region long characterized by aridity and political instability. In the study, just published in the journal Earth System Dynamics, the authors detected a self-amplifying…

  • Watch Video–Sea Level Rise: Causes, Impacts and Options for Solutions

    Watch Video–Sea Level Rise: Causes, Impacts and Options for Solutions

    On July 12, the Earth Institute will bring together experts from science, government and the private sector to discuss causes, implications and potential adaptation strategies for sea level rise.

  • Fueled by Melting Glaciers, Algae Bloom Off Greenland

    Fueled by Melting Glaciers, Algae Bloom Off Greenland

    Iron particles catching a ride on glacial meltwater washed out to sea are likely fueling a recently discovered summer algal bloom off the southern coast of Greenland, according to a new study. Microalgae, also known as phytoplankton, are plant-like marine microorganisms that form the base of the food web in many parts of the ocean.…