State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

flowers

  • Retreating Glaciers Threaten Herbs Used to Make Iconic Alpine Liqueurs

    Retreating Glaciers Threaten Herbs Used to Make Iconic Alpine Liqueurs

    As glaciers recede in the Italian Alps, a shift toward grasslands is threatening native herbs like Artemisia genipi, a key ingredient in the region’s traditional liqueurs.

  • Spring Sprang Early: Should We Worry?

    Spring Sprang Early: Should We Worry?

    While studies do show that flowers and other plants are blooming earlier on average because of warming trends, this year’s early fireworks were “certainly well within the realm of experience for the species native to this area,” says Robert Naczi of the New York Botanical Garden.

Columbia Climate School Giving Day on October 28, 2026, featuring students and renewable energy imagery

October 28, 2026 is Columbia Giving Day! Your gift to Columbia Climate School helps advance interdisciplinary research, educate the next generation of leaders, and transform bold ideas into real-world solutions for climate, Earth, and society.

  • Retreating Glaciers Threaten Herbs Used to Make Iconic Alpine Liqueurs

    Retreating Glaciers Threaten Herbs Used to Make Iconic Alpine Liqueurs

    As glaciers recede in the Italian Alps, a shift toward grasslands is threatening native herbs like Artemisia genipi, a key ingredient in the region’s traditional liqueurs.

  • Spring Sprang Early: Should We Worry?

    Spring Sprang Early: Should We Worry?

    While studies do show that flowers and other plants are blooming earlier on average because of warming trends, this year’s early fireworks were “certainly well within the realm of experience for the species native to this area,” says Robert Naczi of the New York Botanical Garden.