State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

New York City12

  • SUMA Alumna Travels A Different Sustainability Path in Brooklyn

    SUMA Alumna Travels A Different Sustainability Path in Brooklyn

    Agustina Besada (SUMA 2015) is the Executive Director of Sure We Can, a nonprofit recycling facility, community center and grassroots sustainability testbed wrapped into one.

  • It’s Time for New York to Save its Mass Transit System

    It’s Time for New York to Save its Mass Transit System

    The economic heart of the city cannot beat without an effective subway system. It’s time for the mayor and governor to develop a fully funded, well thought through strategy for mass transit in New York City and its nearby suburbs.

  • Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Kartik Chandran, an environmental engineer at Columbia, will discuss some of his urban wastewater treatment projects at a panel discussion Friday following the screening of a new film about Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay.

  • Track Mosquitoes with your Smartphone

    Track Mosquitoes with your Smartphone

    Using crowd-sourced data, the Bitebytes app can educate the public on mosquitoes, the diseases they transmit, and mosquito habitat control, while allowing cities to target key areas to help control the potential for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

  • Student Writing Project Exposes NYC’s Illegal Ivory Trade

    Student Writing Project Exposes NYC’s Illegal Ivory Trade

    For a term project, Wendy Hapgood, MSSM ’16, investigated the possible illegal sale of ivory at shops in Manhattan. She found evidence for the largest ivory bust in New York state history.

  • How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    Climate change is already affecting New York, and these changes will have profound effects on its ecosystems, plants and animals. What are the implications of these projected changes?

  • Spring 2017 Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

    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 field.

  • New York Lets a Thousand Bioswales Bloom

    New York Lets a Thousand Bioswales Bloom

    In an effort to curb sewage overflows, New York City has turned to green infrastructure: right-of-way bioswales, green roofs and rain gardens, among other practices. These measures help decrease stormwater runoff by increasing pervious areas and introducing water-loving plants that can absorb some of the water and encourage evaporation.

  • Cities: the Vanguard Against Climate Change

    Cities: the Vanguard Against Climate Change

    Cities are leading the fight against climate change. Here’s what some of the most forward-looking ones are doing.

Photo of the Earth from space with the text "Lamont at AGU25" on top.

AGU25, the premier Earth and space science conference, takes place December 15-19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme—Where Science Connects Us—puts in focus how science depends on connection, from the lab to the field to the ballot box. Once again, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School scientists, experts, students, and educators are playing an active role, sharing our research and helping shape the future of our planet. #AGU25 Learn More

  • SUMA Alumna Travels A Different Sustainability Path in Brooklyn

    SUMA Alumna Travels A Different Sustainability Path in Brooklyn

    Agustina Besada (SUMA 2015) is the Executive Director of Sure We Can, a nonprofit recycling facility, community center and grassroots sustainability testbed wrapped into one.

  • It’s Time for New York to Save its Mass Transit System

    It’s Time for New York to Save its Mass Transit System

    The economic heart of the city cannot beat without an effective subway system. It’s time for the mayor and governor to develop a fully funded, well thought through strategy for mass transit in New York City and its nearby suburbs.

  • Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Kartik Chandran, an environmental engineer at Columbia, will discuss some of his urban wastewater treatment projects at a panel discussion Friday following the screening of a new film about Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay.

  • Track Mosquitoes with your Smartphone

    Track Mosquitoes with your Smartphone

    Using crowd-sourced data, the Bitebytes app can educate the public on mosquitoes, the diseases they transmit, and mosquito habitat control, while allowing cities to target key areas to help control the potential for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

  • Student Writing Project Exposes NYC’s Illegal Ivory Trade

    Student Writing Project Exposes NYC’s Illegal Ivory Trade

    For a term project, Wendy Hapgood, MSSM ’16, investigated the possible illegal sale of ivory at shops in Manhattan. She found evidence for the largest ivory bust in New York state history.

  • How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    How Climate Change Affects New York’s Plants and Animals

    Climate change is already affecting New York, and these changes will have profound effects on its ecosystems, plants and animals. What are the implications of these projected changes?

  • Spring 2017 Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunities

    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 field.

  • New York Lets a Thousand Bioswales Bloom

    New York Lets a Thousand Bioswales Bloom

    In an effort to curb sewage overflows, New York City has turned to green infrastructure: right-of-way bioswales, green roofs and rain gardens, among other practices. These measures help decrease stormwater runoff by increasing pervious areas and introducing water-loving plants that can absorb some of the water and encourage evaporation.

  • Cities: the Vanguard Against Climate Change

    Cities: the Vanguard Against Climate Change

    Cities are leading the fight against climate change. Here’s what some of the most forward-looking ones are doing.