State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

PlaNYC

  • Getting Sustainability Done in New York City

    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.

  • A New Park Rises From an Old Garbage Dump: Parks as Critical Elements of Urban Infrastructure

    New York’s Freshkills Park may be a tough sell for those of us who remember the huge landfill that used to be there. But anyone born in the 21st century will not associate that space with garbage, and over the next half century it will become of increasing importance to the development of Staten Island…

  • From PlaNYC to OneNYC: New York’s Evolving Sustainability Policy

    How do we encourage the wealthy to participate in our real estate market without driving out the rest of us? How can the city tax some of the new real estate wealth to provide housing subsidies for working New Yorkers?

  • Lessons in Sustainability Policy

    Lessons in Sustainability Policy

    On April 7, 2015, the Earth Institute hosted a panel event and reception on ‘Sustainability Policy: Progress and Opportunity.’ Over 170 students, faculty, and local professionals gathered in Low Library to hear a panel of experts speak about sustainability and the role of government. Panelists discussed local-level policy, the role of metrics, and what the…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 9/19

    Denver to Barcelona: Global Cities and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, ScienceDaily ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology is publishing a new study in October identifying which cities are producing the greatest levels of greenhouse gases. Denver was number one on the list, followed by Los Angeles, Toronto, Cape Town, and Bangkok. Researchers identified high electricity and heating…

  • New York Launches Survival Strategy For Climate Change

    Task Force, Advised by Columbia Scientists, Will Draw Plans to Battle Rising Seas, Strains on Water and Electricity

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

  • Getting Sustainability Done in New York City

    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.

  • A New Park Rises From an Old Garbage Dump: Parks as Critical Elements of Urban Infrastructure

    New York’s Freshkills Park may be a tough sell for those of us who remember the huge landfill that used to be there. But anyone born in the 21st century will not associate that space with garbage, and over the next half century it will become of increasing importance to the development of Staten Island…

  • From PlaNYC to OneNYC: New York’s Evolving Sustainability Policy

    How do we encourage the wealthy to participate in our real estate market without driving out the rest of us? How can the city tax some of the new real estate wealth to provide housing subsidies for working New Yorkers?

  • Lessons in Sustainability Policy

    Lessons in Sustainability Policy

    On April 7, 2015, the Earth Institute hosted a panel event and reception on ‘Sustainability Policy: Progress and Opportunity.’ Over 170 students, faculty, and local professionals gathered in Low Library to hear a panel of experts speak about sustainability and the role of government. Panelists discussed local-level policy, the role of metrics, and what the…

  • Climate News Roundup – Week of 9/19

    Denver to Barcelona: Global Cities and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, ScienceDaily ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology is publishing a new study in October identifying which cities are producing the greatest levels of greenhouse gases. Denver was number one on the list, followed by Los Angeles, Toronto, Cape Town, and Bangkok. Researchers identified high electricity and heating…

  • New York Launches Survival Strategy For Climate Change

    Task Force, Advised by Columbia Scientists, Will Draw Plans to Battle Rising Seas, Strains on Water and Electricity