State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory107

  • What the Vikings Can Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

    What the Vikings Can Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

    The rise of the Vikings was not a sudden event, but part of a long continuum of human development in the harsh conditions of northern Scandinavia. How did the Vikings make a living over the long term, and what might have influenced their brief florescence? Today, their experiences may provide a kind of object lesson…

  • How Will Climate Change Impact Ocean Health?

    How Will Climate Change Impact Ocean Health?

    Three scientists explain what they’re learning about the ocean’s changing conditions. These discoveries will contribute to the sustainable management and conservation of marine resources, helping to secure food for current and future generations.

  • ‘Pangeo’ Project Will Improve Access to Climate Data

    ‘Pangeo’ Project Will Improve Access to Climate Data

    The better climate models become, the harder it is to use them. One team of researchers is working to fix that.

  • DEADLINE EXTENDED–Apply to an internship today

    DEADLINE EXTENDED–Apply to an internship today

    The Earth Institute has extended the internship application deadline for positions in a variety of administration, communications and research roles. Undergraduate, graduate and PhD students are eligible to apply for the opportunity to work on a sustainability-focused project.

  • DEADLINE EXTENDED–Apply today to be a research assistant

    DEADLINE EXTENDED–Apply today to be a research assistant

    The Earth Institute has extended the application deadline for applications to undergraduate research assistant positions for the fall 2017 semester. Undergraduates from Columbia and Barnard will be able to serve as research assistants on research projects related to sustainable development and the environment with distinguished faculty and researchers at the cutting edge of this burgeoning…

  • How Will Scientists Find Out Whether Climate Change Made Hurricane Harvey Worse? [Video]

    How Will Scientists Find Out Whether Climate Change Made Hurricane Harvey Worse? [Video]

    It’s too soon to say there’s a connection, but searching for the fingerprints of climate change shouldn’t take too long.

  • The Earth Institute’s Newest Sustainability Program Begins in January 2018

    The Earth Institute’s Newest Sustainability Program Begins in January 2018

    Sustainability Science graduates will have the scientific know-how to help organizations improve their environmental performance.

  • Climate May Quickly Drive Forest-Eating Beetles North, Says Study

    Climate May Quickly Drive Forest-Eating Beetles North, Says Study

    Over the next few decades, global warming-related rises in winter temperatures could significantly extend the range of the southern pine beetle, one of the world’s most aggressive tree-killing insects, through much of the northern United States and southern Canada, says a new study.

  • How did Hurricane Harvey Become so Powerful, so Quickly?

    How did Hurricane Harvey Become so Powerful, so Quickly?

    Over the past day and a half, Hurricane Harvey’s winds have quickened from about 35 to 109 miles per hour. What’s driving this massive power-up?

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

  • What the Vikings Can Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

    What the Vikings Can Teach Us About Adapting to Climate Change

    The rise of the Vikings was not a sudden event, but part of a long continuum of human development in the harsh conditions of northern Scandinavia. How did the Vikings make a living over the long term, and what might have influenced their brief florescence? Today, their experiences may provide a kind of object lesson…

  • How Will Climate Change Impact Ocean Health?

    How Will Climate Change Impact Ocean Health?

    Three scientists explain what they’re learning about the ocean’s changing conditions. These discoveries will contribute to the sustainable management and conservation of marine resources, helping to secure food for current and future generations.

  • ‘Pangeo’ Project Will Improve Access to Climate Data

    ‘Pangeo’ Project Will Improve Access to Climate Data

    The better climate models become, the harder it is to use them. One team of researchers is working to fix that.

  • DEADLINE EXTENDED–Apply to an internship today

    DEADLINE EXTENDED–Apply to an internship today

    The Earth Institute has extended the internship application deadline for positions in a variety of administration, communications and research roles. Undergraduate, graduate and PhD students are eligible to apply for the opportunity to work on a sustainability-focused project.

  • DEADLINE EXTENDED–Apply today to be a research assistant

    DEADLINE EXTENDED–Apply today to be a research assistant

    The Earth Institute has extended the application deadline for applications to undergraduate research assistant positions for the fall 2017 semester. Undergraduates from Columbia and Barnard will be able to serve as research assistants on research projects related to sustainable development and the environment with distinguished faculty and researchers at the cutting edge of this burgeoning…

  • How Will Scientists Find Out Whether Climate Change Made Hurricane Harvey Worse? [Video]

    How Will Scientists Find Out Whether Climate Change Made Hurricane Harvey Worse? [Video]

    It’s too soon to say there’s a connection, but searching for the fingerprints of climate change shouldn’t take too long.

  • The Earth Institute’s Newest Sustainability Program Begins in January 2018

    The Earth Institute’s Newest Sustainability Program Begins in January 2018

    Sustainability Science graduates will have the scientific know-how to help organizations improve their environmental performance.

  • Climate May Quickly Drive Forest-Eating Beetles North, Says Study

    Climate May Quickly Drive Forest-Eating Beetles North, Says Study

    Over the next few decades, global warming-related rises in winter temperatures could significantly extend the range of the southern pine beetle, one of the world’s most aggressive tree-killing insects, through much of the northern United States and southern Canada, says a new study.

  • How did Hurricane Harvey Become so Powerful, so Quickly?

    How did Hurricane Harvey Become so Powerful, so Quickly?

    Over the past day and a half, Hurricane Harvey’s winds have quickened from about 35 to 109 miles per hour. What’s driving this massive power-up?