State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

renewable energy14

  • Trump vs. Clinton: What the Election Could Mean for Climate Policy

    Trump vs. Clinton: What the Election Could Mean for Climate Policy

    The outcome of this year’s presidential election could have far-reaching implications for the fate of our planet because the two presumptive candidates, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, have very different ideas about climate change. What will they do about the Paris accord and climate change?

  • The How and Why of Green Building

    The How and Why of Green Building

    Buildings account for almost a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and the U.N. Environment Programme projects that if we continue with business as usual in the building sector, these emissions will double by 2030. Fortunately, green building is on the rise around the world.

  • Fossil Fuel Companies Need to Become Renewable Energy Companies

    No one should underestimate the scale of the challenge that confronts humanity. It will require new technologies and changes in infrastructure, organizational capacity, economic incentives and public policy.

  • The Tools to Build a Green Economy

    The Tools to Build a Green Economy

    What role does public policy play in encouraging and facilitating the green economy? What are the policy tools and incentives that steer green investment effectively?

  • The Technological World and the Risk of Nuclear Power

    The modern economy and our way of life depend on new and advancing technology. It especially depends on energy technology.

  • Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Quiet Green Revolution

    In many respects, Cuomo’s approach to sustainability mirrors the approach taken by Mike Bloomberg when he was New York City’s mayor. Sustainability is viewed as a tool of economic development and environmental goals are integrated into the goals of economic development.

  • From Copenhagen to Paris: Moving From Talk to Action on Climate Change

    Globally, individual nations have volunteered greenhouse gas reduction targets in anticipation of the Paris meetings. Unlike Copenhagen, where calls for mandatory reductions and transfer payments to the developing world caused the collapse of any potential agreements, the world community seems more realistic as it approaches the Paris meetings.

  • The Small Steps That Will Lead to a Low-Carbon Economy

    The renewable energy tax credit, now in place, has been dramatically successful in seeding the solar energy industry. Currently 30% of the cost of the new technology is provided as a tax credit.

  • Symbolic Politics, the Keystone Pipeline, and Climate Policy in the Real World

    The Clean Power Plan, the renewable energy tax credit, and state and local sustainability initiatives may not have the glamor of climate conferences in Paris or the media currency of the fight over the Keystone XL Pipeline, but they are the real, operational policies and programs that actually reduce fossil fuel use and speed the…

  • Trump vs. Clinton: What the Election Could Mean for Climate Policy

    Trump vs. Clinton: What the Election Could Mean for Climate Policy

    The outcome of this year’s presidential election could have far-reaching implications for the fate of our planet because the two presumptive candidates, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, have very different ideas about climate change. What will they do about the Paris accord and climate change?

  • The How and Why of Green Building

    The How and Why of Green Building

    Buildings account for almost a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and the U.N. Environment Programme projects that if we continue with business as usual in the building sector, these emissions will double by 2030. Fortunately, green building is on the rise around the world.

  • Fossil Fuel Companies Need to Become Renewable Energy Companies

    No one should underestimate the scale of the challenge that confronts humanity. It will require new technologies and changes in infrastructure, organizational capacity, economic incentives and public policy.

  • The Tools to Build a Green Economy

    The Tools to Build a Green Economy

    What role does public policy play in encouraging and facilitating the green economy? What are the policy tools and incentives that steer green investment effectively?

  • The Technological World and the Risk of Nuclear Power

    The modern economy and our way of life depend on new and advancing technology. It especially depends on energy technology.

  • Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Quiet Green Revolution

    In many respects, Cuomo’s approach to sustainability mirrors the approach taken by Mike Bloomberg when he was New York City’s mayor. Sustainability is viewed as a tool of economic development and environmental goals are integrated into the goals of economic development.

  • From Copenhagen to Paris: Moving From Talk to Action on Climate Change

    Globally, individual nations have volunteered greenhouse gas reduction targets in anticipation of the Paris meetings. Unlike Copenhagen, where calls for mandatory reductions and transfer payments to the developing world caused the collapse of any potential agreements, the world community seems more realistic as it approaches the Paris meetings.

  • The Small Steps That Will Lead to a Low-Carbon Economy

    The renewable energy tax credit, now in place, has been dramatically successful in seeding the solar energy industry. Currently 30% of the cost of the new technology is provided as a tax credit.

  • Symbolic Politics, the Keystone Pipeline, and Climate Policy in the Real World

    The Clean Power Plan, the renewable energy tax credit, and state and local sustainability initiatives may not have the glamor of climate conferences in Paris or the media currency of the fight over the Keystone XL Pipeline, but they are the real, operational policies and programs that actually reduce fossil fuel use and speed the…