State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

North America2

  • Why Do We Run Hot and Cold on Climate Change?

    Why Do We Run Hot and Cold on Climate Change?

    People’s views on climate seem easily swayed, or in some cases manipulated, by daily weather. In a new study, researchers drilled into what goes on in people’s minds when they respond to these smaller-scale stimuli.

  • Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Understanding the climate history of Mono Lake will help scientists understand the future impact of climate change. This is no esoteric question for Los Angeles, which depends in part on Mono Lake’s watershed for drinking water, green lawns, agriculture and industry.

  • The End of Cheap Water?

    The End of Cheap Water?

    Americans are paying more for water than they did a decade ago, even as water utilities fall into debt and water infrastructure deteriorates, according to a Columbia Water Center report.

  • Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    “One of the ways that climate change is going to manifest is through warmer temperatures. … What we are seeing, in line with our projections, is that even if you assume constant precipitation, the temperature effects are so large that it is going to dry things out. This is going to have really big impacts…

  • Charting the Course to a Renewable Energy Future

    Charting the Course to a Renewable Energy Future

    As environmentalists have pushed for greater investment in wind and solar energy, critics have insisted that renewable sources of power could never provide more than a fraction of world energy demand. Evidence is mounting, however, that the critics are wrong.

  • Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Tornadoes are rare at any one location, but out of anywhere in the United States, the central Oklahoma area has the greatest risk—and this day would prove no exception.

  • The Boom of Hydraulic Fracturing

    The Boom of Hydraulic Fracturing

    Experts discuss the rise and boom of unconventional hydrocarbon extraction in the final Sustainable Development Seminar Series of the 2012-2013 academic year.

  • Water Risk in Unexpected Places

    Water Risk in Unexpected Places

    A new report by the Columbia Water Center, produced with Veolia Water and Growing Blue, could help expose the real nature of water risk–even in places that most people think of as having plenty of water.

  • Trouble in America’s Water Paradise

    Trouble in America’s Water Paradise

    America’s strong water infrastructure has been key to its success as a nation. Yet the nation’s continual waste of water and lack of commitment to long-term water investments has halted its progress.

Colorful banner image over Earth with text "Open House Discover Science, October 19, 2024, 10am to 4pm

Join us on Saturday, October 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House! Celebrate 75 years of science with us at our beautiful Palisades, NY campus. The event is free and open to everyone, with a suggested $5 donation. Learn More and RSVP

  • Why Do We Run Hot and Cold on Climate Change?

    Why Do We Run Hot and Cold on Climate Change?

    People’s views on climate seem easily swayed, or in some cases manipulated, by daily weather. In a new study, researchers drilled into what goes on in people’s minds when they respond to these smaller-scale stimuli.

  • Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

    Understanding the climate history of Mono Lake will help scientists understand the future impact of climate change. This is no esoteric question for Los Angeles, which depends in part on Mono Lake’s watershed for drinking water, green lawns, agriculture and industry.

  • The End of Cheap Water?

    The End of Cheap Water?

    Americans are paying more for water than they did a decade ago, even as water utilities fall into debt and water infrastructure deteriorates, according to a Columbia Water Center report.

  • Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    “One of the ways that climate change is going to manifest is through warmer temperatures. … What we are seeing, in line with our projections, is that even if you assume constant precipitation, the temperature effects are so large that it is going to dry things out. This is going to have really big impacts…

  • Charting the Course to a Renewable Energy Future

    Charting the Course to a Renewable Energy Future

    As environmentalists have pushed for greater investment in wind and solar energy, critics have insisted that renewable sources of power could never provide more than a fraction of world energy demand. Evidence is mounting, however, that the critics are wrong.

  • Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Chasing Tornadoes: A Close Call with a Deadly Storm

    Tornadoes are rare at any one location, but out of anywhere in the United States, the central Oklahoma area has the greatest risk—and this day would prove no exception.

  • The Boom of Hydraulic Fracturing

    The Boom of Hydraulic Fracturing

    Experts discuss the rise and boom of unconventional hydrocarbon extraction in the final Sustainable Development Seminar Series of the 2012-2013 academic year.

  • Water Risk in Unexpected Places

    Water Risk in Unexpected Places

    A new report by the Columbia Water Center, produced with Veolia Water and Growing Blue, could help expose the real nature of water risk–even in places that most people think of as having plenty of water.

  • Trouble in America’s Water Paradise

    Trouble in America’s Water Paradise

    America’s strong water infrastructure has been key to its success as a nation. Yet the nation’s continual waste of water and lack of commitment to long-term water investments has halted its progress.