environmental justice Archives - State of the Planet

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Model Environmental Justice Bills, Aimed at State Legislators, Are Released

A new framework for legislators and advocates aims to promote environmental justice with exemplary tools to accelerate proposed policy changes.

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Five Tips for Taking Climate Action in Your Community

Environmental justice lawyer Christine Appah-Gyamfi offers tips for getting involved in climate advocacy this Earth Day.

by |April 18, 2023
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Faculty Spotlight: Rachel Patterson

A faculty advisor in the Environmental Science and Policy program, Patterson shares her professional journey, emphasizing the importance of following your passions rather than staying in a job that doesn’t align with your morals and interests.

by Saj McBurrows |April 6, 2023

Christine Appah-Gyamfi Empowers Students to Lead on Environmental Justice Issues

In her class at the Columbia Climate School, this environmental justice lawyer provides tools and hands-on opportunities for her students to generate real-world impacts.

by |April 4, 2023

Viewing Urban Geography and History Through an Environmental Justice Lens

A Q&A with John Williams, who studies the historical links between the built environment and racial injustice in U.S. cities.

by Olivia Colton |March 22, 2023
Green forest with skyscrapers in the background.

Opinion: Why Environmentalists Should Oppose ‘Cop City’ and Defend the Atlanta Forest

A Sustainability Management graduate student discusses questions of environmental injustice in Atlanta, Georgia, as one county prepares to turn a large greenspace into a police training facility.

by Aditi Desai |February 24, 2023
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From Columbia to COP27 in Six Months: Cassidy Childs

Inspired into action by the Tubbs Fire in 2017, this Environmental Science and Policy alum is helping to bring justice and equity issues into environmental policy.

by Deanna Coleman |February 8, 2023

2022 Climate News You Should Know

Climate School experts weigh in on the past year’s most noteworthy events and developments within their fields.

by Elise Gout |December 19, 2022
satellite image of rikers island

A Renewable Future for Formerly Incarcerated New Yorkers

Rikers Island, the world’s largest penal colony, could become a solar farm. While this is a significant step toward a healthier future, certain considerations must be taken into account to ensure the transition is just and equitable.

by Joshua Nodiff |December 15, 2022

Faculty Spotlight: John Williams

He’s teaching “Geographies of Environmental Justice and Sustainability” in the Sustainability Management program this fall.

by Frederique Fyhr |November 22, 2022