State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate50

  • Denmark’s New Mark: Fossil-free by 2050

    Denmark’s New Mark: Fossil-free by 2050

    Last Monday, October 11th, Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the Consulate General of Denmark co-hosted “The Climate Challenge: Revitalizing the Debate”. The daylong symposium included three panel sessions, in which experts from academia, the private sector, government and non-governmental organizations discussed the effects and implications of global climate change as well as steps –both taken…

  • Deutsche Bank and Earth Institute Debunk Climate Skeptics

    To address global warming skeptics, the Earth Institute’s Columbia Climate Center authored a report in partnership with Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors to examine many of the claims and counter-claims against climate change science. The report concludes that despite the noise generated by misinformation, a vast body of scientific research affirms that human-made climate change…

  • Climate-Security Linkages Lost in Translation

    Climate-Security Linkages Lost in Translation

    Contrary to recent news stories, the possibility that climate change might trigger conflict remains very real.

  • The Policy Buffet (Part 5): How the Oil Spill Killed the Climate Bill — and Why the Economy Didn’t Help, Either

    The Policy Buffet (Part 5): How the Oil Spill Killed the Climate Bill — and Why the Economy Didn’t Help, Either

    The climate bill has come and gone. Just two months ago, it seemed as though the bill stood a fighting chance, given the buffet of options available to policymakers.

  • The Policy Buffet (Part 4): Eulogizing the Climate Bill that Wasn’t

    The Policy Buffet (Part 4): Eulogizing the Climate Bill that Wasn’t

    On July 22, just days before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that the last decade was the warmest on record, the United States Senate abandoned its effort to put a price on carbon. Comprehensive climate and energy legislation was on life-support for weeks until Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) announced that…

  • Jeffrey Sachs, Gavin Schmidt on Economy and Wild Summer Weather

    Jeffrey Sachs, Gavin Schmidt on Economy and Wild Summer Weather

    Jeffrey Sachs’ discusses what it will take to kick start the US economy and the possible links between climate change and this summer’s weather on CNN’s “GPS with Fareed Zakaria”.

  • Think Globally, Act Locally: Climate Adaptation in Action

    Think Globally, Act Locally: Climate Adaptation in Action

    Across Indonesia, several effective climate adaptation actions on local levels are underway. These actions serve as a reminder of the important change that starts with a community of dedicated individuals.

  • Applied Climate Research: A Conversation with Stefan Sobolowski (Part 2)

    In part 1 of this interview, I talked with Columbia Water Center hydroclimatologist Stefan Sobolowski about the effects of continental snowcover on climate, and the implications of his research on climate change. In part 2, we talk about the problem of uncertainty in climate prediction models, extreme weather events, the regional variation of climate change…

  • The Implications of Snowcover on Climate: A Conversation with Stefan Sobolowski (Part 1)

    Stefan Sobolowski says he has always had a passion for water, weather and climate—a passion he attributes to lifetime of skiing, hiking, snowboarding, and playing in oceans. Here, Stefan discusses his research on the effects of continental snowcover on climate and why one cold winter in the United States doesn’t mean that there is no…

  • Denmark’s New Mark: Fossil-free by 2050

    Denmark’s New Mark: Fossil-free by 2050

    Last Monday, October 11th, Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the Consulate General of Denmark co-hosted “The Climate Challenge: Revitalizing the Debate”. The daylong symposium included three panel sessions, in which experts from academia, the private sector, government and non-governmental organizations discussed the effects and implications of global climate change as well as steps –both taken…

  • Deutsche Bank and Earth Institute Debunk Climate Skeptics

    To address global warming skeptics, the Earth Institute’s Columbia Climate Center authored a report in partnership with Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors to examine many of the claims and counter-claims against climate change science. The report concludes that despite the noise generated by misinformation, a vast body of scientific research affirms that human-made climate change…

  • Climate-Security Linkages Lost in Translation

    Climate-Security Linkages Lost in Translation

    Contrary to recent news stories, the possibility that climate change might trigger conflict remains very real.

  • The Policy Buffet (Part 5): How the Oil Spill Killed the Climate Bill — and Why the Economy Didn’t Help, Either

    The Policy Buffet (Part 5): How the Oil Spill Killed the Climate Bill — and Why the Economy Didn’t Help, Either

    The climate bill has come and gone. Just two months ago, it seemed as though the bill stood a fighting chance, given the buffet of options available to policymakers.

  • The Policy Buffet (Part 4): Eulogizing the Climate Bill that Wasn’t

    The Policy Buffet (Part 4): Eulogizing the Climate Bill that Wasn’t

    On July 22, just days before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that the last decade was the warmest on record, the United States Senate abandoned its effort to put a price on carbon. Comprehensive climate and energy legislation was on life-support for weeks until Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) announced that…

  • Jeffrey Sachs, Gavin Schmidt on Economy and Wild Summer Weather

    Jeffrey Sachs, Gavin Schmidt on Economy and Wild Summer Weather

    Jeffrey Sachs’ discusses what it will take to kick start the US economy and the possible links between climate change and this summer’s weather on CNN’s “GPS with Fareed Zakaria”.

  • Think Globally, Act Locally: Climate Adaptation in Action

    Think Globally, Act Locally: Climate Adaptation in Action

    Across Indonesia, several effective climate adaptation actions on local levels are underway. These actions serve as a reminder of the important change that starts with a community of dedicated individuals.

  • Applied Climate Research: A Conversation with Stefan Sobolowski (Part 2)

    In part 1 of this interview, I talked with Columbia Water Center hydroclimatologist Stefan Sobolowski about the effects of continental snowcover on climate, and the implications of his research on climate change. In part 2, we talk about the problem of uncertainty in climate prediction models, extreme weather events, the regional variation of climate change…

  • The Implications of Snowcover on Climate: A Conversation with Stefan Sobolowski (Part 1)

    Stefan Sobolowski says he has always had a passion for water, weather and climate—a passion he attributes to lifetime of skiing, hiking, snowboarding, and playing in oceans. Here, Stefan discusses his research on the effects of continental snowcover on climate and why one cold winter in the United States doesn’t mean that there is no…