New York City Archives - State of the Planet

New York City’s Resilience and Post-COVID Recovery

New York City has its problems, but the energy, work ethic, brainpower, and sheer determination of the people who live here always ensure its revival.

by |September 11, 2023
Thick smoke from Canadian wildfires darkens the sky in New York City.

How Wildfire Smoke Can Travel Thousands of Miles, and How to Protect Yourself

Columbia Climate School experts comment on the dangerous air pollution from Canadian wildfires.

by |June 8, 2023

Getting Sustainability Done in New York City

Just in time for Earth Day, New York City has issued a new sustainability plan; Mayor Adams deserves enormous credit for empowering his team to develop and issue this plan and for deploying his political capital in support of practical, real-world-oriented sustainability planning, policy, programs, and management.

by |April 24, 2023
emily torem photo

My Experience as a Fellow With the New York City Panel on Climate Change

A Climate and Society alum and former fellow with the Health Working Group reflects on what she learned and how it opened the door to future career opportunities.

by Emily Torem |April 10, 2023

Diversity as a Value, and the Economic Value of Diversity

New York City’s resilience and great economic strength are directly derived from its diverse people and communities.

by |February 13, 2023

New York City Government Struggles to Advance Sustainability Goals

Managing New York City is enormously complicated, and reaching carbon reduction goals will be a matter of two steps forward and one step back; management innovation is necessary to bring our city government’s operations into the 21st century and hasten the transition to environmental sustainability.

by |February 6, 2023

New York City’s Greenery Absorbs a Surprising Amount of Its Carbon Emissions

A hyper-local study of vegetation shows that the city’s trees and grass often cancel out all the CO2 released from cars, trucks and buses on summer days.

by |January 5, 2023
satellite image of rikers island

A Renewable Future for Formerly Incarcerated New Yorkers

Rikers Island, the world’s largest penal colony, could become a solar farm. While this is a significant step toward a healthier future, certain considerations must be taken into account to ensure the transition is just and equitable.

by Joshua Nodiff |December 15, 2022

New York City’s Dynamism is Why Our City Will Not Fail

Diversity and tolerance comprise the secret sauce that fuels New York City’s creative and economic dynamism.

by |November 7, 2022

She Led Scientists Advising New York on Climate Change. Did the City Listen?

Cynthia Rosenzweig co-chaired the New York City Panel on Climate Change, an expert body advising the mayor, from its inception four years before Hurricane Sandy, and well after. Here, she assesses what was learned, and done, before and after.

by |October 29, 2022