Earth Institute Initiative on Communication and Sustainability Archives - State of the Planet

You Asked: What’s the Best Way To Talk About Climate Change?

Columbia scientists, journalists, and content creators answer some of the most frequently asked questions about climate communication.

by Elise Gout |September 21, 2021
IPCC warming planet models

A Hot, Fiery, Flooding Present and Future – the Latest Warning from the U.N. Climate Panel

The remedy is the same, cut vulnerability now and emissions now. Are we listening?

by |August 9, 2021
A tall power pole with many crossing wires. It's the old style of power pole, with cross members and glass insulators.

Reducing Risk and Avoiding Disaster – Creating Grid 2.0

Experts discussed the challenges and opportunities of upgrading the electric grid during a recent webinar.

by |March 12, 2021
A graphic showing how to deal with online abuse

How to Defend Yourself and Others Against Online Attacks

Social media can be an important communication tool for scientists and scholars, but it can also invite harassment. Here’s how to stay safe online, and help others who face abuse.

by Xantal Tejada Herrera |February 16, 2021

Sustain What Webcast Invites Student and Faculty Takeovers

The webcast offers a platform for global conversations around sustainability and resilient human progress.

by |December 2, 2020
Two young men on a motorcycle carry a goat between them as they drive through a giant sandstorm, called a haboob

Land Restoration Can Profoundly Benefit People and the Environment

A recent webinar highlighted how returning land to a more natural state can help the climate, the local environment, and nearby communities.

by |October 26, 2020
A man kneels before a cross at a make-shift memorial outside Columbine High School near Denver, CO after a mass shooting there in April of 1999

Moral Injury: Repairing the Hidden Cost of Journalism

Reporters who witness immense suffering can experience “a wound on the soul.” A recent webinar discussed these wounds and how newsrooms can support mental healing.

by |September 29, 2020
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
A coal train sits on a track next to a facility in Donora, PA

While No One Was Watching: Changing Environmental Regulations Under the Trump Administration

The administration is using the pandemic to stop enforcing many environmental and health protections. In a recent webinar, experts discussed what has happened, and what it means.

by |May 21, 2020
Dale Willman, who will lead the new Earth Institute Resilience Media Project, here runs a discussion of resilience journalism

Earth Institute Announces Resilience Media Project

The project will boost newsroom capacity to go beyond reporting on disasters after they strike, to envision preventative and adaptive solutions.

by |May 11, 2020