State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Sustainability31

  • 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?

  • Anchor Institutions and their Significance to Community and Economic Development

    Anchor Institutions and their Significance to Community and Economic Development

    Partnerships between anchor institutions and local organizations and businesses are vital to solving problems in localities and regions. Through engagement, investment and collaboration, anchor institutions can continue to play a crucial role in providing significant social and economic development opportunities to the communities in which they operate.

  • Climate May Make Some Regions ‘Uninhabitable’ by End of Century

    Climate May Make Some Regions ‘Uninhabitable’ by End of Century

    The global trend toward hotter summers could make parts of the Middle East and tropics “practically uninhabitable” by the end of the century, new research published this week contends.

  • April 18 Deadline for SEE-U Summer Programs

    April 18 Deadline for SEE-U Summer Programs

    A new summer study program will focus on agricultural ecosystems in and around New York City.

  • Watch: a Positive Vision of Sustainability

    Watch: a Positive Vision of Sustainability

    How do we transition to sustainability in a positive and effective way? In this video, Steven Cohen, executive director of the Earth Institute, discusses a positive vision of sustainability—one that avoids the gloom and doom rhetoric so often seen in headlines—and focuses on the technology, ingenuity and innovation that can build a sustainable economy.

  • A New Tool for Coastal Planners Preparing for Sea Level Rise

    A New Tool for Coastal Planners Preparing for Sea Level Rise

    Globally, the tool estimates at least 11 inches of sea level rise this century with ambitious efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions and as much as 52 inches if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow unchecked.

  • Education and Sustainability

    o many different types of skills are needed to transition to the renewable economy, some element of our educational process should be devoted to identifying what children like to do and what they are good at. Those may not be the same thing, and it is important for people to identify the useful skills they…

  • Federal Environmental Policy Can’t Find the 21st Century

    The issue comes down to willingness to pay upfront for improved systems, rather than pay to address environmental emergencies later on, when pieces of the system fall apart. Both water and energy systems carry user charges, but weak, ideologically-bound politicians refuse to allow these fees to grow to pay the capital cost of modern infrastructure.

  • Developing a Sustainable Tourism Industry in China

    Developing a Sustainable Tourism Industry in China

    Last week, members of the Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management traveled to Huizhou, China, to present their initial findings for a study on sustainable tourism for the IBM Smarter Cities initiative.

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

  • 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?

  • Anchor Institutions and their Significance to Community and Economic Development

    Anchor Institutions and their Significance to Community and Economic Development

    Partnerships between anchor institutions and local organizations and businesses are vital to solving problems in localities and regions. Through engagement, investment and collaboration, anchor institutions can continue to play a crucial role in providing significant social and economic development opportunities to the communities in which they operate.

  • Climate May Make Some Regions ‘Uninhabitable’ by End of Century

    Climate May Make Some Regions ‘Uninhabitable’ by End of Century

    The global trend toward hotter summers could make parts of the Middle East and tropics “practically uninhabitable” by the end of the century, new research published this week contends.

  • April 18 Deadline for SEE-U Summer Programs

    April 18 Deadline for SEE-U Summer Programs

    A new summer study program will focus on agricultural ecosystems in and around New York City.

  • Watch: a Positive Vision of Sustainability

    Watch: a Positive Vision of Sustainability

    How do we transition to sustainability in a positive and effective way? In this video, Steven Cohen, executive director of the Earth Institute, discusses a positive vision of sustainability—one that avoids the gloom and doom rhetoric so often seen in headlines—and focuses on the technology, ingenuity and innovation that can build a sustainable economy.

  • A New Tool for Coastal Planners Preparing for Sea Level Rise

    A New Tool for Coastal Planners Preparing for Sea Level Rise

    Globally, the tool estimates at least 11 inches of sea level rise this century with ambitious efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions and as much as 52 inches if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow unchecked.

  • Education and Sustainability

    o many different types of skills are needed to transition to the renewable economy, some element of our educational process should be devoted to identifying what children like to do and what they are good at. Those may not be the same thing, and it is important for people to identify the useful skills they…

  • Federal Environmental Policy Can’t Find the 21st Century

    The issue comes down to willingness to pay upfront for improved systems, rather than pay to address environmental emergencies later on, when pieces of the system fall apart. Both water and energy systems carry user charges, but weak, ideologically-bound politicians refuse to allow these fees to grow to pay the capital cost of modern infrastructure.

  • Developing a Sustainable Tourism Industry in China

    Developing a Sustainable Tourism Industry in China

    Last week, members of the Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management traveled to Huizhou, China, to present their initial findings for a study on sustainable tourism for the IBM Smarter Cities initiative.