State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

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  • Rare Earth Metals: Will We Have Enough?

    Rare Earth Metals: Will We Have Enough?

    Cell phones, iPads, laptops, televisions, hybrid cars, wind turbines, solar cells and many more products depend on rare earth metals to function. Will there be enough for us to continue our high-tech lifestyle and transition to a renewable energy economy?

  • The Criminalization of Anti-Mining Social Protest in Peru

    The Criminalization of Anti-Mining Social Protest in Peru

    In Africa, Asia and Latin America, the development of the mining industry has often been accompanied by violence and community-led social protest. To halt these protests, young democratic institutions have, in various cases, turned to authoritarian dogmas. Researcher Dr. Triscritti illustrates how in Peru these practices are decreasing the chances of reaching durable and peaceful…

  • Remembering Resource Interdependence

    Remembering Resource Interdependence

    Legislating revenue transparency injects fairness into resource equations, but it remains the map rather than the territory. The deeper dilemma is that we no longer have a language to describe the territory.

  • Reusing Dirty Water

    Reusing Dirty Water

    Columbia Water Center guest lecturer Raymond Farinato talks about increasing water supply by reusing wastewater in industrial applications.

  • Climate News Roundup — Week of 6/14

    Bill Gates funds cloud-whitening effort to reduce global warming.  USA Today Bill Gates is funding research into whether or not it is effective and feasible to increase the albedo of atmospheric clouds by spray sea mist high into the atmosphere. The plan, spearheaded by Silicon Valley inventor Armand Neukermans, is a relatively benign method of…

Overhead view of Columbia campus with text Columbia Climate School Class Day 2026: Congratulations Graduates

Congratulations to our Columbia Climate School Class of 2026 and all of our 2026 Columbia University graduates! Learn more about our May 15 Climate School Class Day celebration. 💙 #Columbia2026 #ColumbiaClimate2026

  • Rare Earth Metals: Will We Have Enough?

    Rare Earth Metals: Will We Have Enough?

    Cell phones, iPads, laptops, televisions, hybrid cars, wind turbines, solar cells and many more products depend on rare earth metals to function. Will there be enough for us to continue our high-tech lifestyle and transition to a renewable energy economy?

  • The Criminalization of Anti-Mining Social Protest in Peru

    The Criminalization of Anti-Mining Social Protest in Peru

    In Africa, Asia and Latin America, the development of the mining industry has often been accompanied by violence and community-led social protest. To halt these protests, young democratic institutions have, in various cases, turned to authoritarian dogmas. Researcher Dr. Triscritti illustrates how in Peru these practices are decreasing the chances of reaching durable and peaceful…

  • Remembering Resource Interdependence

    Remembering Resource Interdependence

    Legislating revenue transparency injects fairness into resource equations, but it remains the map rather than the territory. The deeper dilemma is that we no longer have a language to describe the territory.

  • Reusing Dirty Water

    Reusing Dirty Water

    Columbia Water Center guest lecturer Raymond Farinato talks about increasing water supply by reusing wastewater in industrial applications.

  • Climate News Roundup — Week of 6/14

    Bill Gates funds cloud-whitening effort to reduce global warming.  USA Today Bill Gates is funding research into whether or not it is effective and feasible to increase the albedo of atmospheric clouds by spray sea mist high into the atmosphere. The plan, spearheaded by Silicon Valley inventor Armand Neukermans, is a relatively benign method of…