communicating climate Archives - State of the Planet

An orangutan swings in a tree in a rainforest on Borneo

Coronavirus and Wildfires Combine to Pose Potential Threat to Indigenous Lives and Lands

But experts say it’s not too late to reduce the most serious effects of these compound issues.

by |June 22, 2020

Just Climate Change Action: The Importance and Challenges of Centering Indigenous Wisdom and Perspectives

Indigenous communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, leading the way for innovative actions rooted in first-hand experiences of climate disasters and shifts, and knowledge transferred across generations.

Journalist Andrew Revkin to Head New Communications Initiative

The Earth Institute is starting a new initiative to expand Columbia University’s outreach on climate change and other sustainability issues to the public, policymakers and international organizations.

by |July 1, 2019

A New Primer on Climate Change

A Q&A with Jason Smerdon, coauthor of the newly revised Climate Change: The Science of Global Warming and Our Energy Future.

by |November 14, 2018
heat maps of United States from national climate assessment

National Climate Report: Q&A With Authors

Every four years Congress is provided with a state-of-the-art report on the impacts of climate change on the United States. The next National Climate Assessment is scheduled for 2018, but its scientific findings are scheduled to be published today. Here, two of its authors explain what to expect.

by |November 3, 2017

What Changes Minds About Climate Change?

More Americans are coming to agree with the vast majority of climate scientists who say human-induced climate change is really happening. Here’s what works, and what doesn’t, when communicating with skeptics.

by |August 9, 2017

The Undermining of Climate Science

The election of Donald Trump has climate scientists concerned about its implications for U.S. environmental policies and worldwide efforts to curb the effects of climate change. Many fear that climate science under Trump could be strategically undermined in a variety of ways.

by |December 9, 2016

Watch: Cities and the Climate Change Challenge

Join us for a symposium on Lessons of Climate Resilience in New York City this Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 6-7:15 p.m. in Low Library on the Columbia University campus.

by |October 18, 2016

As Louisiana Floods, Measuring the Climate Change Effect

The heavy rains and flooding in Louisiana have been devastating. Can we attribute the severity of it to climate change? How you measure that depends on the questions you ask.

by |August 17, 2016

As Predicted: A Rising Tide of Migration

“With sea levels on the rise, several island nations are scrambling to stay above water and ensure citizens will have a place to go when the ocean engulfs their homeland. The humanitarian-crisis phase of climate change has officially begun.”

by |April 29, 2016