State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Peru2

  • Vanishing Glaciers: The Future of Water in Peru’s High Andes

    Vanishing Glaciers: The Future of Water in Peru’s High Andes

    In the high Andes of Peru, glacial retreat poses a complex set of challenges related to water supply.

  • Palm Oil in the Amazon: Threat or Opportunity?

    Palm Oil in the Amazon: Threat or Opportunity?

    Small migratory farming is responsible for 70% of the annual deforestation in Peru. Can palm oil address this problem and lead the change towards sustainable development in the Peruvian Amazon?

  • Palcacocha Icefalls Demonstrate Hazard Vulnerabilities in Peru

    Palcacocha Icefalls Demonstrate Hazard Vulnerabilities in Peru

    In the last week, calving events at Lake Palcacocha in the Peruvian Andes released masses of ice from a glacier on Mount Pucaranra, showing the weakness of the existing infrastructure designed to protect the region from floods.

  • When Environmental Oversight Takes a Back Seat

    When Environmental Oversight Takes a Back Seat

    The government of Peru faces significant pressure to encourage growth and investment in the mining sector, but this has also put pressure on the government’s ability to properly assess environmental impacts.

  • Ancestors

    Ancestors

    We are high mountain people, hunters and artists, Our view from this base camp is brilliant and clear. Cold, thin air sweeps the rocky plateau; You need a strong heart to live here.

  • The New World

    The New World

    On a man in the mountains, dusk falls; Shadows seep upward and spread. Scaling the black, chiseled walls, He silently seeks the dead.

  • Finding Solutions to Environmental Conflict: Q&A With Josh Fisher

    Finding Solutions to Environmental Conflict: Q&A With Josh Fisher

    In a rapidly warming world, conflicts inevitably arise between those affected by dwindling resources and changing climate conditions. Josh Fisher’s work centers on trying to avert conflict and provide opportunities for cooperation through understanding the relationships between conflict, environment and development.

  • Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?

    Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?

    For millennia, people have set fires to clear land for cultivation, pastures or hunting; so-called slash-and-burn agriculture is still common across much of tropical Africa, Asia and South America. It has been a useful strategy–but …

Blue banner with kids and Earth photos. Text: "Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House, Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10am-4pm.

On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!

  • Vanishing Glaciers: The Future of Water in Peru’s High Andes

    Vanishing Glaciers: The Future of Water in Peru’s High Andes

    In the high Andes of Peru, glacial retreat poses a complex set of challenges related to water supply.

  • Palm Oil in the Amazon: Threat or Opportunity?

    Palm Oil in the Amazon: Threat or Opportunity?

    Small migratory farming is responsible for 70% of the annual deforestation in Peru. Can palm oil address this problem and lead the change towards sustainable development in the Peruvian Amazon?

  • Palcacocha Icefalls Demonstrate Hazard Vulnerabilities in Peru

    Palcacocha Icefalls Demonstrate Hazard Vulnerabilities in Peru

    In the last week, calving events at Lake Palcacocha in the Peruvian Andes released masses of ice from a glacier on Mount Pucaranra, showing the weakness of the existing infrastructure designed to protect the region from floods.

  • When Environmental Oversight Takes a Back Seat

    When Environmental Oversight Takes a Back Seat

    The government of Peru faces significant pressure to encourage growth and investment in the mining sector, but this has also put pressure on the government’s ability to properly assess environmental impacts.

  • Ancestors

    Ancestors

    We are high mountain people, hunters and artists, Our view from this base camp is brilliant and clear. Cold, thin air sweeps the rocky plateau; You need a strong heart to live here.

  • The New World

    The New World

    On a man in the mountains, dusk falls; Shadows seep upward and spread. Scaling the black, chiseled walls, He silently seeks the dead.

  • Finding Solutions to Environmental Conflict: Q&A With Josh Fisher

    Finding Solutions to Environmental Conflict: Q&A With Josh Fisher

    In a rapidly warming world, conflicts inevitably arise between those affected by dwindling resources and changing climate conditions. Josh Fisher’s work centers on trying to avert conflict and provide opportunities for cooperation through understanding the relationships between conflict, environment and development.

  • Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?

    Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?

    For millennia, people have set fires to clear land for cultivation, pastures or hunting; so-called slash-and-burn agriculture is still common across much of tropical Africa, Asia and South America. It has been a useful strategy–but …