State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Management

  • The Hard Work of Making Sustainability Management Real

    The Hard Work of Making Sustainability Management Real

    To have meaningful change on sustainability, corporations, nonprofits and governments must bring it into the regular fabric of organizational life.

  • Houston’s Post-Harvey Toxic Mess

    Houston’s Post-Harvey Toxic Mess

    If we are to maintain the way of life we enjoy while maintaining a safe and healthy environment, we need to require more careful management of toxic substances.

  • Why Climate Change Matters

    Why Climate Change Matters

    Climate change is a test of our ability to identify, understand and act on critical global environmental issues. It tests our ability to work across national borders and across academic and professional fields of knowledge.

  • The Progress Toward Sustainability

    The Progress Toward Sustainability

    The effort to ensure that humans can continue to benefit from the miracle of this planet, and increase the distribution of those benefits to all of humanity is well underway. A positive vision of sustainability underlies much of the progress we have made thus far, and will be of increasing importance as the transition to…

  • Certificate Program: Black Rock Forest Case Study

    Certificate Program: Black Rock Forest Case Study

    Forests are a vitally important habitat for much of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. During this class you will learn key issues in forest ecology and management through an all-day field trip to Black Rock Forest, and study how pathogens and other invasive species affect forest structure and function.

  • Water-Energy Dependency May Put a Damper on Water Banking in California

    We’ve been following some of the issues related to the drought in California. In response to water shortages, a “water bank” has been implemented to allow users who do not use all of their water to sell it to other users. In theory, such a system allows water to be used in an efficient manner,…

  • Shriveling Rivers

    The ramifications of climate change are often discussed in terms of rising sea levels, atmospheric changes, desertification, and worsening, more frequent natural disasters. Another impact of climate change could have immediate and disastrous effects on water availability both here in the US and abroad. Recent research increasingly suggests that the world’s major rivers are essentially…

  • Tampa Bay Water has Bleak Outlook

    Tampa Bay is probably most known in the water community for having one of the largest desalinization plants in the nation, and is looked upon by many as the model to see if desal is a feasible alternative for the future. So far, the plant has been full of issues, such as costing $40 million…

  • Water Center Conference: Water Security in India

    Last night (Wednesday, April 15) the Water Center kicked off its conference on Water Security in India with a lecture and reception at the Asia Society in New York. Led by a formal talk given by Alok Sikka (see here for more information about Sikka and the other panelists), the evening addressed pressing water issues…

  • The Hard Work of Making Sustainability Management Real

    The Hard Work of Making Sustainability Management Real

    To have meaningful change on sustainability, corporations, nonprofits and governments must bring it into the regular fabric of organizational life.

  • Houston’s Post-Harvey Toxic Mess

    Houston’s Post-Harvey Toxic Mess

    If we are to maintain the way of life we enjoy while maintaining a safe and healthy environment, we need to require more careful management of toxic substances.

  • Why Climate Change Matters

    Why Climate Change Matters

    Climate change is a test of our ability to identify, understand and act on critical global environmental issues. It tests our ability to work across national borders and across academic and professional fields of knowledge.

  • The Progress Toward Sustainability

    The Progress Toward Sustainability

    The effort to ensure that humans can continue to benefit from the miracle of this planet, and increase the distribution of those benefits to all of humanity is well underway. A positive vision of sustainability underlies much of the progress we have made thus far, and will be of increasing importance as the transition to…

  • Certificate Program: Black Rock Forest Case Study

    Certificate Program: Black Rock Forest Case Study

    Forests are a vitally important habitat for much of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. During this class you will learn key issues in forest ecology and management through an all-day field trip to Black Rock Forest, and study how pathogens and other invasive species affect forest structure and function.

  • Water-Energy Dependency May Put a Damper on Water Banking in California

    We’ve been following some of the issues related to the drought in California. In response to water shortages, a “water bank” has been implemented to allow users who do not use all of their water to sell it to other users. In theory, such a system allows water to be used in an efficient manner,…

  • Shriveling Rivers

    The ramifications of climate change are often discussed in terms of rising sea levels, atmospheric changes, desertification, and worsening, more frequent natural disasters. Another impact of climate change could have immediate and disastrous effects on water availability both here in the US and abroad. Recent research increasingly suggests that the world’s major rivers are essentially…

  • Tampa Bay Water has Bleak Outlook

    Tampa Bay is probably most known in the water community for having one of the largest desalinization plants in the nation, and is looked upon by many as the model to see if desal is a feasible alternative for the future. So far, the plant has been full of issues, such as costing $40 million…

  • Water Center Conference: Water Security in India

    Last night (Wednesday, April 15) the Water Center kicked off its conference on Water Security in India with a lecture and reception at the Asia Society in New York. Led by a formal talk given by Alok Sikka (see here for more information about Sikka and the other panelists), the evening addressed pressing water issues…