State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Energy14

  • Can Canadian Water Slake America’s Need for Power?

    Can Canadian Water Slake America’s Need for Power?

    At a time when the world is abuzz with talk of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to stem the tide of climate change, Canada’s surfeit of hydropower production appears an attractive option to people south of the border who still rely on fossil fuel-generated electricity.

  • Water, Oil, Food – A Crisis for Saudi Arabia and the World

    Water, Oil, Food – A Crisis for Saudi Arabia and the World

    A water crisis is unfolding in Saudi Arabia that could have profound implications for both the Saudi people and for the rest of the world.

  • Executive Courses in Conservation, Sustainability

    Executive Courses in Conservation, Sustainability

    The Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University provides professionals with the knowledge and tools to be effective environmental leaders and decision makers in the 21st century. It is an evening program in which environmental issues are discussed, debated and examined, where participants develop an in-depth understanding of conservation science and practice through…

  • Apply for *NEW* Executive Course in Energy and Sustainability

    Apply for *NEW* Executive Course in Energy and Sustainability

    Learn more about CERC’s new course, Energy and Sustainability, which examines the evolution of issues, attitudes, and policies surrounding energy production and use through time, and its relationship to sustainable living.

  • Canadian Boreal: Protecting Today’s Water for Tomorrow

    Canadian Boreal: Protecting Today’s Water for Tomorrow

    Canada’s Boreal forest is far from the public eye, but it contains 25 percent of the world’s wetlands.

  • The Less Thirsty Cars of the Future

    The Less Thirsty Cars of the Future

    Good news for clean air and water: President Obama unveiled an agreement last week to raise the bar on fuel economy by 2025.

  • Cooling the Former Frontier: Using Water to Save Energy

    Cooling the Former Frontier: Using Water to Save Energy

    AC units have become more efficient over the years, but energy consumption during hot summer months can increase significantly, boosting both the amount of money spent on electricity and the volume of greenhouse gasses emitted in the energy production process.

  • Ripple Effect Author Talks Efficiency; Cleanup

    Ripple Effect Author Talks Efficiency; Cleanup

    The outlook for global water is bleak, but Alex Prud’Homme still believes in the power of human ingenuity.

  • Toxic Waters in the Gilded State

    Toxic Waters in the Gilded State

    To those who have never been, the Golden State is known for luxurious palm tree-lined avenues, sun-drenched beaches, and picturesque mountains. But not all parts of California were created equal. The state’s San Joaquin Valley hosts a scene entirely different from the images of Malibu beaches depicted in travel brochures. It is the non-glittering core…

Earth Month Graphic Collage: "Our Power, Our Planet - April 2025"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • Can Canadian Water Slake America’s Need for Power?

    Can Canadian Water Slake America’s Need for Power?

    At a time when the world is abuzz with talk of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to stem the tide of climate change, Canada’s surfeit of hydropower production appears an attractive option to people south of the border who still rely on fossil fuel-generated electricity.

  • Water, Oil, Food – A Crisis for Saudi Arabia and the World

    Water, Oil, Food – A Crisis for Saudi Arabia and the World

    A water crisis is unfolding in Saudi Arabia that could have profound implications for both the Saudi people and for the rest of the world.

  • Executive Courses in Conservation, Sustainability

    Executive Courses in Conservation, Sustainability

    The Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University provides professionals with the knowledge and tools to be effective environmental leaders and decision makers in the 21st century. It is an evening program in which environmental issues are discussed, debated and examined, where participants develop an in-depth understanding of conservation science and practice through…

  • Apply for *NEW* Executive Course in Energy and Sustainability

    Apply for *NEW* Executive Course in Energy and Sustainability

    Learn more about CERC’s new course, Energy and Sustainability, which examines the evolution of issues, attitudes, and policies surrounding energy production and use through time, and its relationship to sustainable living.

  • Canadian Boreal: Protecting Today’s Water for Tomorrow

    Canadian Boreal: Protecting Today’s Water for Tomorrow

    Canada’s Boreal forest is far from the public eye, but it contains 25 percent of the world’s wetlands.

  • The Less Thirsty Cars of the Future

    The Less Thirsty Cars of the Future

    Good news for clean air and water: President Obama unveiled an agreement last week to raise the bar on fuel economy by 2025.

  • Cooling the Former Frontier: Using Water to Save Energy

    Cooling the Former Frontier: Using Water to Save Energy

    AC units have become more efficient over the years, but energy consumption during hot summer months can increase significantly, boosting both the amount of money spent on electricity and the volume of greenhouse gasses emitted in the energy production process.

  • Ripple Effect Author Talks Efficiency; Cleanup

    Ripple Effect Author Talks Efficiency; Cleanup

    The outlook for global water is bleak, but Alex Prud’Homme still believes in the power of human ingenuity.

  • Toxic Waters in the Gilded State

    Toxic Waters in the Gilded State

    To those who have never been, the Golden State is known for luxurious palm tree-lined avenues, sun-drenched beaches, and picturesque mountains. But not all parts of California were created equal. The state’s San Joaquin Valley hosts a scene entirely different from the images of Malibu beaches depicted in travel brochures. It is the non-glittering core…