State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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  • EPA’s Upcoming Carbon Rules: A Primer

    EPA’s Upcoming Carbon Rules: A Primer

    On Monday, June 2, President Obama will announce proposed federal rules aimed at curbing carbon emissions from existing U.S. power plants–possibly a landmark in U.S. climate policy. It is uncertain how far the rule will go, and the announcement is being closely watched around the world.

  • Overcoming Challenges to Local Development in Haiti

    Overcoming Challenges to Local Development in Haiti

    Haiti Dialogue Series: Should funds be more effectively channeled through the Haitian government, a decentralized finance program could help streamline financing and reinforce local government planning efforts. As part of the Haiti Research and Policy Program dialogue series, Tatiana Wah was joined by Leslie Pean to discuss possible approaches to achieving the call for decentralization…

  • Can Water Scarcity Bring Down a Government? Yemen Spirals Out of Control

    Can Water Scarcity Bring Down a Government? Yemen Spirals Out of Control

    According to The New York Times, Yemen, a nation of 24 million people that sits at the southern and southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is “on the brink of an economic collapse so dire it could take years to recover.”

  • Conservation in Alaska: If It Sounds Familiar…

    Conservation in Alaska: If It Sounds Familiar…

    It occurred to me while reading noted historian Douglas Brinkley’s new book The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom 1879-1960 that some things don’t seem to change. Brinkley’s book chronicles the efforts of the Federal government to save wild Alaska from the extraction industries, mining, timber and fisheries primarily. The notion over one hundred years…

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • EPA’s Upcoming Carbon Rules: A Primer

    EPA’s Upcoming Carbon Rules: A Primer

    On Monday, June 2, President Obama will announce proposed federal rules aimed at curbing carbon emissions from existing U.S. power plants–possibly a landmark in U.S. climate policy. It is uncertain how far the rule will go, and the announcement is being closely watched around the world.

  • Overcoming Challenges to Local Development in Haiti

    Overcoming Challenges to Local Development in Haiti

    Haiti Dialogue Series: Should funds be more effectively channeled through the Haitian government, a decentralized finance program could help streamline financing and reinforce local government planning efforts. As part of the Haiti Research and Policy Program dialogue series, Tatiana Wah was joined by Leslie Pean to discuss possible approaches to achieving the call for decentralization…

  • Can Water Scarcity Bring Down a Government? Yemen Spirals Out of Control

    Can Water Scarcity Bring Down a Government? Yemen Spirals Out of Control

    According to The New York Times, Yemen, a nation of 24 million people that sits at the southern and southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is “on the brink of an economic collapse so dire it could take years to recover.”

  • Conservation in Alaska: If It Sounds Familiar…

    Conservation in Alaska: If It Sounds Familiar…

    It occurred to me while reading noted historian Douglas Brinkley’s new book The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom 1879-1960 that some things don’t seem to change. Brinkley’s book chronicles the efforts of the Federal government to save wild Alaska from the extraction industries, mining, timber and fisheries primarily. The notion over one hundred years…