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ESP Alum Focuses Career on Clean Energy Solutions
MPA in Environmental Science and Policy alumnus James Vener (‘07) entered the program with the intention of transitioning his career from environmental engineering to environmental policy, but was surprised to discover an interest in clean energy.
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Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake
Understanding the climate history of Mono Lake will help scientists understand the future impact of climate change. This is no esoteric question for Los Angeles, which depends in part on Mono Lake’s watershed for drinking water, green lawns, agriculture and industry.
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Shedding Light on Rural Africa: A New Partnership
In partnership with the Italian energy company Eni, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network will evaluate potential pathways for increasing access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa, furthering its goals of promoting sustainable development solutions globally.
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Postdoc Crosses Disciplines to Put Theory to Practice
The Earth Institute postdoc has provided me with a strong foundation to continue to initiate and develop these sorts of collaborations, has helped me learn how my own research can benefit from being challenged by and contextualized in another field, and has taught me how much fun it can be to share the same sort…
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Lessons From Front Lines of Climate Change
Cities already lead the action on responding to climate change. And cities are utilizing groups such as the Urban Climate Change Research Network to share lessons from implementation and scholarly research on urban climate change.
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Maps Made for Disaster Management
Newly redesigned interactive mapping tools are helping the Red Cross make planning and operational decisions ahead of droughts and extreme weather.
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Di-BOSS: the World’s First Digital Building Operating System
The Digital Building Operating System was built as a three way collaboration among Rudin Management Co., Columbia Engineering’s Center for Computational Learning Systems and Selex ES, a global technology company owned by Finmeccanica, with each party bringing unique skills to the “3 Legged Stool.”
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On Gulf Coast, Organizing Youth to Face Disaster
A new youth development and disaster recovery program, which grew out of research on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will debut in five Gulf Coast high schools. The project will bring together teens to create and share resources to help communities recover from disasters.
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From Laughter to Linear Regressions
What was obvious to a Malaysian studying in Singapore was slightly less clear to a California-born New Yorker, but as my knowledge on the subject grew, I quickly understood my colleague’s enthusiasm for studying oil palm.
COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More
