State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Columbia Water Center6

  • Does El Salvador’s Metal Mining Ban Suggest a Global Trend?

    Does El Salvador’s Metal Mining Ban Suggest a Global Trend?

    A number of national and local governments are tightening environmental regulations and shutting down specific mining projects, or in some cases the entire industry, due to environmental risks, including those related to water use and pollution.

  • To Ease Mexico City’s Water Woes, Look up, Study Suggests

    To Ease Mexico City’s Water Woes, Look up, Study Suggests

    For Mexico City’s biggest businesses and its poorest neighborhoods, rainwater harvesting could help address an enormous water crisis plaguing the city, a recent Columbia Water Center study found.

  • Michelle Ho: In a Land of Plenty, Big Water Problems

    Michelle Ho: In a Land of Plenty, Big Water Problems

    Michelle Ho grew up in Australia, the driest inhabited continent, with an appreciation for the value of having a clean glass of water to drink. Now, she conducts research for the Columbia Water Center on America’s water systems.

  • An Ancient Tool Holds Promise for Modern Water Problems

    An Ancient Tool Holds Promise for Modern Water Problems

    The potential effectiveness of harvesting rainwater to bolster water supply and reduce potentially polluting runoff varies greatly from place to place, even within a particular city or neighborhood. Now researchers at the Columbia Water Center have developed a tool to assess the potential of rainwater harvesting throughout the United States.

  • Grasslands More Sensitive to Dryness than Rainfall, Study Says

    Grasslands More Sensitive to Dryness than Rainfall, Study Says

    A new study shows that dryness of the atmosphere affects U.S. grassland productivity more than rainfall does. The findings could have important implications for predicting how plants will respond to warming climate conditions.

  • Oroville Dam Crisis is a Call to Action on U.S. Water Infrastructure

    Oroville Dam Crisis is a Call to Action on U.S. Water Infrastructure

    Columbia Water Center director Upmanu Lall suggests that we see the Oroville crisis as a call to action to evaluate and address the challenges facing the nation’s dam infrastructure.

  • Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    The Earth Institute digs into the past, tracks the present and models the future of climate. We explore the broader issues surrounding climate change, seek ways to apply our knowledge to real solutions, and nurture collaboration among faculty and researchers in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, law, public health, engineering, architecture and urban…

  • Water Quality Concerns Extend Well Beyond Flint

    Water Quality Concerns Extend Well Beyond Flint

    Researchers at the Columbia Water Center have been analyzing trends in drinking water quality violations. A critical lesson is that water quality violations extend well beyond the problem of lead in Flint’s drinking water.

  • Dammed Funding for U.S. Dams

    Dammed Funding for U.S. Dams

    Across the nation, large-scale water infrastructure such as dams have provided a multitude of services, from electric power and water reservoirs to flood control and containment of pollution. But federal investments in large water infrastructure projects have largely been curtailed over the past few decades.

Columbia campus skyline with text Columbia Climate School Class Day 2024 - Congratulations Graduates

Congratulations to our Columbia Climate School MA in Climate & Society Class of 2024! Learn about our May 10 Class Day celebration. #ColumbiaClimate2024

  • Does El Salvador’s Metal Mining Ban Suggest a Global Trend?

    Does El Salvador’s Metal Mining Ban Suggest a Global Trend?

    A number of national and local governments are tightening environmental regulations and shutting down specific mining projects, or in some cases the entire industry, due to environmental risks, including those related to water use and pollution.

  • To Ease Mexico City’s Water Woes, Look up, Study Suggests

    To Ease Mexico City’s Water Woes, Look up, Study Suggests

    For Mexico City’s biggest businesses and its poorest neighborhoods, rainwater harvesting could help address an enormous water crisis plaguing the city, a recent Columbia Water Center study found.

  • Michelle Ho: In a Land of Plenty, Big Water Problems

    Michelle Ho: In a Land of Plenty, Big Water Problems

    Michelle Ho grew up in Australia, the driest inhabited continent, with an appreciation for the value of having a clean glass of water to drink. Now, she conducts research for the Columbia Water Center on America’s water systems.

  • An Ancient Tool Holds Promise for Modern Water Problems

    An Ancient Tool Holds Promise for Modern Water Problems

    The potential effectiveness of harvesting rainwater to bolster water supply and reduce potentially polluting runoff varies greatly from place to place, even within a particular city or neighborhood. Now researchers at the Columbia Water Center have developed a tool to assess the potential of rainwater harvesting throughout the United States.

  • Grasslands More Sensitive to Dryness than Rainfall, Study Says

    Grasslands More Sensitive to Dryness than Rainfall, Study Says

    A new study shows that dryness of the atmosphere affects U.S. grassland productivity more than rainfall does. The findings could have important implications for predicting how plants will respond to warming climate conditions.

  • Oroville Dam Crisis is a Call to Action on U.S. Water Infrastructure

    Oroville Dam Crisis is a Call to Action on U.S. Water Infrastructure

    Columbia Water Center director Upmanu Lall suggests that we see the Oroville crisis as a call to action to evaluate and address the challenges facing the nation’s dam infrastructure.

  • Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    Looking at Climate from All the Angles

    The Earth Institute digs into the past, tracks the present and models the future of climate. We explore the broader issues surrounding climate change, seek ways to apply our knowledge to real solutions, and nurture collaboration among faculty and researchers in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, law, public health, engineering, architecture and urban…

  • Water Quality Concerns Extend Well Beyond Flint

    Water Quality Concerns Extend Well Beyond Flint

    Researchers at the Columbia Water Center have been analyzing trends in drinking water quality violations. A critical lesson is that water quality violations extend well beyond the problem of lead in Flint’s drinking water.

  • Dammed Funding for U.S. Dams

    Dammed Funding for U.S. Dams

    Across the nation, large-scale water infrastructure such as dams have provided a multitude of services, from electric power and water reservoirs to flood control and containment of pollution. But federal investments in large water infrastructure projects have largely been curtailed over the past few decades.