State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

drought8

  • What’s Holding Water Conservation Back in Rockland County?

    What’s Holding Water Conservation Back in Rockland County?

    Rockland County’s main water provider, United Water NY, wants to build a treatment plant on the Hudson River that would deliver more freshwater to Rockland taps. As the project awaits state approval, a new debate on water consumption has emerged. Should people be encouraged, or even required, to use less? And if so, how?

  • Forecasting Climate’s Effects on Global Food Production

    Forecasting Climate’s Effects on Global Food Production

    The worst drought to hit the U.S. in decades has already brought corn yields to a 17-year low and will almost certainly raise food prices. Wealth will soften the blow in the U.S., but in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, prolonged drought has often had deadly consequences. Is there a better way to anticipate climate’s…

  • Preparing for a Future of Perpetual Drought

    Preparing for a Future of Perpetual Drought

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects that droughts will likely increase in central North America this century. How can we prepare for a future of perpetual drought?

  • Brief Broadleaf Forest Happenings: tulip goodness, delighted about Turkey, and drought

    Brief Broadleaf Forest Happenings: tulip goodness, delighted about Turkey, and drought

    I have to call myself out. Earlier I had professed to being a former coniferphile. That was, of course, silly. I like coniferous trees very much. Half of my business is made from this lovely branch of the tree family. This introduction is a lead in to say that this blog will be quieter while…

  • Photo Essay: In the Heart of Dryness

    Photo Essay: In the Heart of Dryness

    Explore the country of Niger in this visual essay while learning about the importance of seasonal forecasting to the Sahel, one of the poorest and most climate-vulnerable regions in the world.

  • Video: Is Drought In East Africa The New Normal?

    Video: Is Drought In East Africa The New Normal?

    A video interview with climate scientist Bradfield Lyon, who explains his latest research on what’s driving rainfall patterns in parts of East Africa.

  • More Food Insecurity Expected in Horn of Africa

    More Food Insecurity Expected in Horn of Africa

    The current rainy season in the Horn of Africa is off to a poor start, and fear of famine once again looms large for the region.

  • East Africa Drought Is “Exceptional”

    East Africa Drought Is “Exceptional”

    Climate scientist Simon Mason talks about the drought and the role of climate information in disaster preparedness and response.

  • Natural Disasters: The Upside

    Natural Disasters: The Upside

    Floods, volcanoes, earthquakes–really, very little good news comes out of this sort of thing. Maybe the occasional feel-good story about, say, a child miraculously dug from the rubble days later, tired but unharmed and in good spirits, having survived on a cache of crackers and Coke. Actually, says John Mutter, an Earth Institute professor of sustainability studies, disasters can sometimes…

  • What’s Holding Water Conservation Back in Rockland County?

    What’s Holding Water Conservation Back in Rockland County?

    Rockland County’s main water provider, United Water NY, wants to build a treatment plant on the Hudson River that would deliver more freshwater to Rockland taps. As the project awaits state approval, a new debate on water consumption has emerged. Should people be encouraged, or even required, to use less? And if so, how?

  • Forecasting Climate’s Effects on Global Food Production

    Forecasting Climate’s Effects on Global Food Production

    The worst drought to hit the U.S. in decades has already brought corn yields to a 17-year low and will almost certainly raise food prices. Wealth will soften the blow in the U.S., but in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, prolonged drought has often had deadly consequences. Is there a better way to anticipate climate’s…

  • Preparing for a Future of Perpetual Drought

    Preparing for a Future of Perpetual Drought

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects that droughts will likely increase in central North America this century. How can we prepare for a future of perpetual drought?

  • Brief Broadleaf Forest Happenings: tulip goodness, delighted about Turkey, and drought

    Brief Broadleaf Forest Happenings: tulip goodness, delighted about Turkey, and drought

    I have to call myself out. Earlier I had professed to being a former coniferphile. That was, of course, silly. I like coniferous trees very much. Half of my business is made from this lovely branch of the tree family. This introduction is a lead in to say that this blog will be quieter while…

  • Photo Essay: In the Heart of Dryness

    Photo Essay: In the Heart of Dryness

    Explore the country of Niger in this visual essay while learning about the importance of seasonal forecasting to the Sahel, one of the poorest and most climate-vulnerable regions in the world.

  • Video: Is Drought In East Africa The New Normal?

    Video: Is Drought In East Africa The New Normal?

    A video interview with climate scientist Bradfield Lyon, who explains his latest research on what’s driving rainfall patterns in parts of East Africa.

  • More Food Insecurity Expected in Horn of Africa

    More Food Insecurity Expected in Horn of Africa

    The current rainy season in the Horn of Africa is off to a poor start, and fear of famine once again looms large for the region.

  • East Africa Drought Is “Exceptional”

    East Africa Drought Is “Exceptional”

    Climate scientist Simon Mason talks about the drought and the role of climate information in disaster preparedness and response.

  • Natural Disasters: The Upside

    Natural Disasters: The Upside

    Floods, volcanoes, earthquakes–really, very little good news comes out of this sort of thing. Maybe the occasional feel-good story about, say, a child miraculously dug from the rubble days later, tired but unharmed and in good spirits, having survived on a cache of crackers and Coke. Actually, says John Mutter, an Earth Institute professor of sustainability studies, disasters can sometimes…