State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

India5

  • Making Agriculture Sustainable in One of India’s Poorest States

    Making Agriculture Sustainable in One of India’s Poorest States

    Jharkhand, India is one of the nation’s poorest and most most food-insecure states, with over 45 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Can a research team devise sustainable ways to improve livelihoods, productivity and sustainable water use?

  • Officials Launch ‘School as a Way of Life’ in Assam, India

    Officials Launch ‘School as a Way of Life’ in Assam, India

    The initiative will work to improve teaching and learning outcomes in public primary schools in rural Assam through changes in the classroom and improvements in infrastructure.

  • Help for Indian Small Farmers in a Changing Climate

    Help for Indian Small Farmers in a Changing Climate

    While a much-needed insurance reform is a welcome change in the Indian agricultural sector, enabling smallholders to be self-sufficient in the wake of climate change and India’s alarming problem of groundwater depletion would be an added plus.

  • Overuse of Water by Indian Farmers Threatens Supply

    Overuse of Water by Indian Farmers Threatens Supply

    Convincing farmers that it’s worth it to reduce their water consumption will rest on our ability to help develop local groups to manage aquifers at the community-level.

  • Indian Sundarban

    Indian Sundarban

    We arrived in Kolkata, and filmed by the Hooghly River. While it is no longer the main channel of the Ganges, it is still the Holy Ganges and we saw a funeral procession spreading ashes of a loved one while filming there. Then a 5 hour trip by car, ferry, rickshaw and boat to the…

  • Geology and Filming in Mizoram

    Geology and Filming in Mizoram

    In the small town of Kolasib, we stayed in Hotel Cloud 9. I had been told since I was a child that I was always off on Cloud 9 and now I was actually here. However, the electricity wasn’t for the first few hours, so showers were cold, but the dinner was hot.

  • New Course on International Education Trends

    Education advisors from Columbia University, in collaboration with Avanti Fellows and Central Square Foundation, are implementing a new course, “Emerging International Education Trends with Focus on the Indian Education System,” in early to mid-2015 at Hindupat Institute of Teacher Training, Jiwaji University in Raghogarh, Madhya Pradesh, India.

  • How to Make Good on the Promise of Water as a Human Right

    How to Make Good on the Promise of Water as a Human Right

    Is the creation of a National Water Framework Law or other stronger national legislation the right approach to creating a more sustainable water regime in India? To answer that question, one has to look at the current constitutional status of water rights in the country.

  • Indian Government Takes Steps on Agriculture, Water, Climate

    Indian Government Takes Steps on Agriculture, Water, Climate

    In terms of the urgent need to reform agriculture, address climate change and promote sustainable watershed development, the Indian government’s new budget provides for a number of promising initiatives.

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • Making Agriculture Sustainable in One of India’s Poorest States

    Making Agriculture Sustainable in One of India’s Poorest States

    Jharkhand, India is one of the nation’s poorest and most most food-insecure states, with over 45 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Can a research team devise sustainable ways to improve livelihoods, productivity and sustainable water use?

  • Officials Launch ‘School as a Way of Life’ in Assam, India

    Officials Launch ‘School as a Way of Life’ in Assam, India

    The initiative will work to improve teaching and learning outcomes in public primary schools in rural Assam through changes in the classroom and improvements in infrastructure.

  • Help for Indian Small Farmers in a Changing Climate

    Help for Indian Small Farmers in a Changing Climate

    While a much-needed insurance reform is a welcome change in the Indian agricultural sector, enabling smallholders to be self-sufficient in the wake of climate change and India’s alarming problem of groundwater depletion would be an added plus.

  • Overuse of Water by Indian Farmers Threatens Supply

    Overuse of Water by Indian Farmers Threatens Supply

    Convincing farmers that it’s worth it to reduce their water consumption will rest on our ability to help develop local groups to manage aquifers at the community-level.

  • Indian Sundarban

    Indian Sundarban

    We arrived in Kolkata, and filmed by the Hooghly River. While it is no longer the main channel of the Ganges, it is still the Holy Ganges and we saw a funeral procession spreading ashes of a loved one while filming there. Then a 5 hour trip by car, ferry, rickshaw and boat to the…

  • Geology and Filming in Mizoram

    Geology and Filming in Mizoram

    In the small town of Kolasib, we stayed in Hotel Cloud 9. I had been told since I was a child that I was always off on Cloud 9 and now I was actually here. However, the electricity wasn’t for the first few hours, so showers were cold, but the dinner was hot.

  • New Course on International Education Trends

    Education advisors from Columbia University, in collaboration with Avanti Fellows and Central Square Foundation, are implementing a new course, “Emerging International Education Trends with Focus on the Indian Education System,” in early to mid-2015 at Hindupat Institute of Teacher Training, Jiwaji University in Raghogarh, Madhya Pradesh, India.

  • How to Make Good on the Promise of Water as a Human Right

    How to Make Good on the Promise of Water as a Human Right

    Is the creation of a National Water Framework Law or other stronger national legislation the right approach to creating a more sustainable water regime in India? To answer that question, one has to look at the current constitutional status of water rights in the country.

  • Indian Government Takes Steps on Agriculture, Water, Climate

    Indian Government Takes Steps on Agriculture, Water, Climate

    In terms of the urgent need to reform agriculture, address climate change and promote sustainable watershed development, the Indian government’s new budget provides for a number of promising initiatives.