State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

eco matters2

  • Summer 2015 SEE-U Study Abroad Experience

    Summer 2015 SEE-U Study Abroad Experience

    Apply now to the Summer 2015 Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates program. Undergraduate students of all majors can apply for the opportunity to conduct field work and study unique ecosystems abroad.

  • Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    According to the World Water Management Institute, over one-third of the human population is affected by water scarcity. Advances in physical understanding, its applications, and the study of our environment and bio-mimicry help us develop more effective ways to fight freshwater scarcity around the world.

  • Warming Streams Have Cascading Impacts in the Amazon

    Warming Streams Have Cascading Impacts in the Amazon

    To protect a river, you must preserve its headwaters. Agricultural development is warming streams at the headwaters of the Xingu River, in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Rising temperatures have local impacts that could cascade into regional changes, highlighting the importance of responsible land use outside of protected areas.

  • A Business Case for Restoring and Protecting Ecosystems

    A Business Case for Restoring and Protecting Ecosystems

    Jeffery Potent writes about how corporations are thinking about their impact on ecosystems in terms of economic quantification in order to achieve more sustainable practices. His upcoming EICES certificate course will also explore how leading corporations are innovating to address environmental and social issues from a business perspective.

  • Fall Courses in Sustainability & Conservation

    Fall Courses in Sustainability & Conservation

    The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University invites you to enroll in courses this Fall via our Certificate Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

  • Studies Find Climate Change to Disrupt Antarctic and Tropical Ecosystems

    Studies Find Climate Change to Disrupt Antarctic and Tropical Ecosystems

    A recent study finds that West Antarctica’s ecosystem is highly correlated to its climate. As a result, climate change will have a negative impact on its ecological relationships, from plankton to penguins. Antarctica isn’t alone – climate change will also affect tropical ocean ecosystems by causing mass coral bleaching.

  • Exploring Ecology and History in Bermuda

    Exploring Ecology and History in Bermuda

    I learned about the coral reef ecology course in Bermuda offered through the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University after developing an interest in marine science over the past year. My background is in newspaper journalism, but I’m now a communications professional at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), devoted to promoting…

  • An Overview of President Obama’s Climate Proposal

    An Overview of President Obama’s Climate Proposal

    On June 2, President Obama announced the most significant climate plan in history. The plan, if enacted as stands, seeks to cut carbon emissions on a state-by-state basis, while giving the states almost limitless freedom on how to do so, as long as they adhere to EPA guidelines. Historic it may be, but is it…

  • Driverless Cars: A Viable Solution to Sustainable Mobility?

    Driverless Cars: A Viable Solution to Sustainable Mobility?

    Google has introduced a brand new type of driverless car that runs on electricity: one without a steering wheel, brake, or accelerator pedal.

  • Summer 2015 SEE-U Study Abroad Experience

    Summer 2015 SEE-U Study Abroad Experience

    Apply now to the Summer 2015 Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates program. Undergraduate students of all majors can apply for the opportunity to conduct field work and study unique ecosystems abroad.

  • Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    Copy Cat!: Fighting the Global Water Scarcity Issue

    According to the World Water Management Institute, over one-third of the human population is affected by water scarcity. Advances in physical understanding, its applications, and the study of our environment and bio-mimicry help us develop more effective ways to fight freshwater scarcity around the world.

  • Warming Streams Have Cascading Impacts in the Amazon

    Warming Streams Have Cascading Impacts in the Amazon

    To protect a river, you must preserve its headwaters. Agricultural development is warming streams at the headwaters of the Xingu River, in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Rising temperatures have local impacts that could cascade into regional changes, highlighting the importance of responsible land use outside of protected areas.

  • A Business Case for Restoring and Protecting Ecosystems

    A Business Case for Restoring and Protecting Ecosystems

    Jeffery Potent writes about how corporations are thinking about their impact on ecosystems in terms of economic quantification in order to achieve more sustainable practices. His upcoming EICES certificate course will also explore how leading corporations are innovating to address environmental and social issues from a business perspective.

  • Fall Courses in Sustainability & Conservation

    Fall Courses in Sustainability & Conservation

    The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University invites you to enroll in courses this Fall via our Certificate Program in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability.

  • Studies Find Climate Change to Disrupt Antarctic and Tropical Ecosystems

    Studies Find Climate Change to Disrupt Antarctic and Tropical Ecosystems

    A recent study finds that West Antarctica’s ecosystem is highly correlated to its climate. As a result, climate change will have a negative impact on its ecological relationships, from plankton to penguins. Antarctica isn’t alone – climate change will also affect tropical ocean ecosystems by causing mass coral bleaching.

  • Exploring Ecology and History in Bermuda

    Exploring Ecology and History in Bermuda

    I learned about the coral reef ecology course in Bermuda offered through the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability (EICES) at Columbia University after developing an interest in marine science over the past year. My background is in newspaper journalism, but I’m now a communications professional at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), devoted to promoting…

  • An Overview of President Obama’s Climate Proposal

    An Overview of President Obama’s Climate Proposal

    On June 2, President Obama announced the most significant climate plan in history. The plan, if enacted as stands, seeks to cut carbon emissions on a state-by-state basis, while giving the states almost limitless freedom on how to do so, as long as they adhere to EPA guidelines. Historic it may be, but is it…

  • Driverless Cars: A Viable Solution to Sustainable Mobility?

    Driverless Cars: A Viable Solution to Sustainable Mobility?

    Google has introduced a brand new type of driverless car that runs on electricity: one without a steering wheel, brake, or accelerator pedal.