State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Columbia Water Center8

  • Scientists Prepare ‘Climate City’ for Take-Off

    Scientists Prepare ‘Climate City’ for Take-Off

    Sometime soon, a flock of “Climate Birds” could be ascending from a former NATO base in northeast France to take the measure of climate change around the world.

  • Watch: Building Solutions for Water Challenges

    Watch: Building Solutions for Water Challenges

    From aging and leaky pipes to pollution and shrinking aquifers, America’s water infrastructure faces a growing set of challenges. A new video describes how the America’s Water Initiative, a program based at the Columbia Water Center, is trying to address those issues.

  • Making Agriculture Sustainable in One of India’s Poorest States

    Making Agriculture Sustainable in One of India’s Poorest States

    Jharkhand, India is one of the nation’s poorest and most most food-insecure states, with over 45 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Can a research team devise sustainable ways to improve livelihoods, productivity and sustainable water use?

  • The Growing Groundwater Crisis

    The Growing Groundwater Crisis

    Groundwater is being depleted at alarming rates, not only in drought-stricken California, but around the world. When groundwater is depleted, it can take tens to hundreds of years to for it to reestablish its sustainable level, if at all. What can be done to avert a water crisis?

  • U.S. Drought Risk Wider than Previously Thought

    U.S. Drought Risk Wider than Previously Thought

    New research from the Columbia Water Center suggests that many more places in the United States are at risk of drought-induced water stress than is commonly thought, including dense metropolitan regions such as New York City and Washington, D.C.

  • Waking up to America’s Water Challenges

    Waking up to America’s Water Challenges

    “Will it take another Dustbowl for Americans to start paying attention to water issues?” asked Water Center Director Upmanu Lall. Or will it be the chance to create the “iPhone technology” of water? Whether the impetus is crisis or opportunity, according to Lall, the time to act is now.

  • AGU 2014: Key Events from The Earth Institute

    AGU 2014: Key Events from The Earth Institute

    Scientists at Columbia University’s Earth Institute will present important talks at the Dec. 15-19 meeting of the American Geophysical Union, the world’s largest gathering of earth and space scientists. Here is a journalists’ guide in rough chronological order.

  • The U.S. Water Challenge: Watch the Video

    The U.S. Water Challenge: Watch the Video

    Most American’s live with the expectation that fresh water will continue to flow freely from their faucets. The reality is that environmental degradation, an aging water infrastructure, water scarcity, job instability, and the ability to provide food for a growing population are now pressing issues.

  • Partnering for Change: Columbia Water Center Collaborates on World Water Day

    Partnering for Change: Columbia Water Center Collaborates on World Water Day

    In celebration of World Water Day 2014, the Columbia Water Center is partnering with several companies to bring attention to water stress and discuss innovative solutions to global water challenges.

Rainforest and Columbia campus collage banner with text "UN COP30, Belem, Brazil, Nov 10-21, 2025"

During COP30—the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference taking place November 10–21 in Belém, Brazil—experts from Columbia Climate School and Columbia University will be contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • Scientists Prepare ‘Climate City’ for Take-Off

    Scientists Prepare ‘Climate City’ for Take-Off

    Sometime soon, a flock of “Climate Birds” could be ascending from a former NATO base in northeast France to take the measure of climate change around the world.

  • Watch: Building Solutions for Water Challenges

    Watch: Building Solutions for Water Challenges

    From aging and leaky pipes to pollution and shrinking aquifers, America’s water infrastructure faces a growing set of challenges. A new video describes how the America’s Water Initiative, a program based at the Columbia Water Center, is trying to address those issues.

  • Making Agriculture Sustainable in One of India’s Poorest States

    Making Agriculture Sustainable in One of India’s Poorest States

    Jharkhand, India is one of the nation’s poorest and most most food-insecure states, with over 45 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Can a research team devise sustainable ways to improve livelihoods, productivity and sustainable water use?

  • The Growing Groundwater Crisis

    The Growing Groundwater Crisis

    Groundwater is being depleted at alarming rates, not only in drought-stricken California, but around the world. When groundwater is depleted, it can take tens to hundreds of years to for it to reestablish its sustainable level, if at all. What can be done to avert a water crisis?

  • U.S. Drought Risk Wider than Previously Thought

    U.S. Drought Risk Wider than Previously Thought

    New research from the Columbia Water Center suggests that many more places in the United States are at risk of drought-induced water stress than is commonly thought, including dense metropolitan regions such as New York City and Washington, D.C.

  • Waking up to America’s Water Challenges

    Waking up to America’s Water Challenges

    “Will it take another Dustbowl for Americans to start paying attention to water issues?” asked Water Center Director Upmanu Lall. Or will it be the chance to create the “iPhone technology” of water? Whether the impetus is crisis or opportunity, according to Lall, the time to act is now.

  • AGU 2014: Key Events from The Earth Institute

    AGU 2014: Key Events from The Earth Institute

    Scientists at Columbia University’s Earth Institute will present important talks at the Dec. 15-19 meeting of the American Geophysical Union, the world’s largest gathering of earth and space scientists. Here is a journalists’ guide in rough chronological order.

  • The U.S. Water Challenge: Watch the Video

    The U.S. Water Challenge: Watch the Video

    Most American’s live with the expectation that fresh water will continue to flow freely from their faucets. The reality is that environmental degradation, an aging water infrastructure, water scarcity, job instability, and the ability to provide food for a growing population are now pressing issues.

  • Partnering for Change: Columbia Water Center Collaborates on World Water Day

    Partnering for Change: Columbia Water Center Collaborates on World Water Day

    In celebration of World Water Day 2014, the Columbia Water Center is partnering with several companies to bring attention to water stress and discuss innovative solutions to global water challenges.