State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Energy18

  • Understanding the Crucial Connection Between Water and Energy

    Understanding the Crucial Connection Between Water and Energy

    While awareness of the water-energy nexus is growing, in many parts of the world policy affecting both energy and water remains shortsighted at best and dangerously counterproductive at worst.

  • Not Enough New Scientists and Engineers Entering the Energy Industry

    With the current emphasis of countries around the world on improving internal infrastructure by Smartening the Electric Grid, replacing hydrocarbons with Alternative Energy sources, repairing aging roads and bridges, and better securing our water systems, I’ve been thinking a lot about Rick Smalley of Rice University. He discovered the “Buckyball”, or Carbon Fullerene, and won…

  • ImagineH2O’s 2010 Water Energy Nexus Prize Announced

    ImagineH2O’s 2010 Water Energy Nexus Prize Announced

    ImagineH2O’s 2010 Water Energy Nexus Prize is a global competition for water businesses that save energy. Possible areas of innovation include energy efficient transport, treatment and use of water.

  • Struggle to Keep Fish, People & Power Companies Happy

    Struggle to Keep Fish, People & Power Companies Happy

    There’s that water-energy nexus again – power plants in NYS are under scrutiny for damaging aquatic habitat and the DEC is working on a policy to limit their impact. Over 17 billion eggs, larvae and fish are killed each year, but opponents to the policy say it could cause NYS energy costs to sky-rocket.

  • Distributed Generation and Renewables in New York City

    As climate change threatens an increasing frequency of heat waves like the ones New York City has been experiencing, we city-dwellers turn to our air conditioners and window fans to keep cool.  It’s an act of adaptation: we adapt to the heat by cooling off our homes – but it counters mitigation, as increased electricity…

  • Who owns the Nile?

    Who owns the Nile? Nine countries want to have a say in answering that question, and they don’t agree. The great river moves through Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so they all may claim her as at least partly their own.

  • Energy, Agriculture, and the Environment: Dead Zones and the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

    Energy, Agriculture, and the Environment: Dead Zones and the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

    Catastrophic, tragic, disastrous: these are all words that have been used to describe the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  It is impossible to deny that these words apply – thick, goopy crude has already coated the beaches and estuaries of the Gulf, contaminating more than 120 miles of coastline.  The spill is…

  • Obama’s Oil Speech: What Wasn’t Said

    I was eagerly anticipating President Obama’s speech last night and very much hoping it would mark a true turning point in the administration’s handling of the crisis. However, like many others, I was sorely disappointed. While the speech used plenty of combative terms (“battle plan”, “siege”) it was completely absent of specifics, both for responding…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 6/7

    10 Eastern States Join Wind Energy Consortium,  Providence Business News On Tuesday a memorandum of understanding signed by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and the governors of ten states established an Atlantic offshore wind energy consortium.  The goal is to promote the efficient development of wind resources on the Outer Continental Shelf from Maine…

Columbia campus skyline with text Columbia Climate School Class Day 2024 - Congratulations Graduates

Congratulations to our Columbia Climate School MA in Climate & Society Class of 2024! Learn about our May 10 Class Day celebration. #ColumbiaClimate2024

  • Understanding the Crucial Connection Between Water and Energy

    Understanding the Crucial Connection Between Water and Energy

    While awareness of the water-energy nexus is growing, in many parts of the world policy affecting both energy and water remains shortsighted at best and dangerously counterproductive at worst.

  • Not Enough New Scientists and Engineers Entering the Energy Industry

    With the current emphasis of countries around the world on improving internal infrastructure by Smartening the Electric Grid, replacing hydrocarbons with Alternative Energy sources, repairing aging roads and bridges, and better securing our water systems, I’ve been thinking a lot about Rick Smalley of Rice University. He discovered the “Buckyball”, or Carbon Fullerene, and won…

  • ImagineH2O’s 2010 Water Energy Nexus Prize Announced

    ImagineH2O’s 2010 Water Energy Nexus Prize Announced

    ImagineH2O’s 2010 Water Energy Nexus Prize is a global competition for water businesses that save energy. Possible areas of innovation include energy efficient transport, treatment and use of water.

  • Struggle to Keep Fish, People & Power Companies Happy

    Struggle to Keep Fish, People & Power Companies Happy

    There’s that water-energy nexus again – power plants in NYS are under scrutiny for damaging aquatic habitat and the DEC is working on a policy to limit their impact. Over 17 billion eggs, larvae and fish are killed each year, but opponents to the policy say it could cause NYS energy costs to sky-rocket.

  • Distributed Generation and Renewables in New York City

    As climate change threatens an increasing frequency of heat waves like the ones New York City has been experiencing, we city-dwellers turn to our air conditioners and window fans to keep cool.  It’s an act of adaptation: we adapt to the heat by cooling off our homes – but it counters mitigation, as increased electricity…

  • Who owns the Nile?

    Who owns the Nile? Nine countries want to have a say in answering that question, and they don’t agree. The great river moves through Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so they all may claim her as at least partly their own.

  • Energy, Agriculture, and the Environment: Dead Zones and the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

    Energy, Agriculture, and the Environment: Dead Zones and the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

    Catastrophic, tragic, disastrous: these are all words that have been used to describe the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  It is impossible to deny that these words apply – thick, goopy crude has already coated the beaches and estuaries of the Gulf, contaminating more than 120 miles of coastline.  The spill is…

  • Obama’s Oil Speech: What Wasn’t Said

    I was eagerly anticipating President Obama’s speech last night and very much hoping it would mark a true turning point in the administration’s handling of the crisis. However, like many others, I was sorely disappointed. While the speech used plenty of combative terms (“battle plan”, “siege”) it was completely absent of specifics, both for responding…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 6/7

    10 Eastern States Join Wind Energy Consortium,  Providence Business News On Tuesday a memorandum of understanding signed by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and the governors of ten states established an Atlantic offshore wind energy consortium.  The goal is to promote the efficient development of wind resources on the Outer Continental Shelf from Maine…