State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

International Research Institute for Climate and Society35

  • Climate Information Can Be Used to Improve Lives of Most Vulnerable, Says New Publication

    In Africa, millions rely directly on rainfed agriculture for their livelihoods; climate-sensitive diseases are a major public health problem; and climate-related disasters regularly threaten development gains. Yet climate information often fails to reach them. The partners behind the publication Climate Risk Management in Africa: Learning from Practice would like to see this change. Case studies in this…

  • In Philippines, El Niño Means Drought

    Casey Brown arrived in Manila in early November on the heels of Typhoon Cimaron, a “super typhoon” that clocked 125-mile-per-hour winds. It was the second deadliest typhoon to hit the island nation since 1998. But for Manila, home to more than 10 million people, it is drought — not typhoons — that has led to…

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

  • Climate Information Can Be Used to Improve Lives of Most Vulnerable, Says New Publication

    In Africa, millions rely directly on rainfed agriculture for their livelihoods; climate-sensitive diseases are a major public health problem; and climate-related disasters regularly threaten development gains. Yet climate information often fails to reach them. The partners behind the publication Climate Risk Management in Africa: Learning from Practice would like to see this change. Case studies in this…

  • In Philippines, El Niño Means Drought

    Casey Brown arrived in Manila in early November on the heels of Typhoon Cimaron, a “super typhoon” that clocked 125-mile-per-hour winds. It was the second deadliest typhoon to hit the island nation since 1998. But for Manila, home to more than 10 million people, it is drought — not typhoons — that has led to…