State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Sustainability40

  • A Chat With Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science

    A Chat With Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science

    In candid conversation, wrought with his usual humor and wit, Dr. Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science, discusses topics ranging from the critical role of life on Earth and trends in sustainability to Taylor Swift, his own personal “Science Hall of Fame” and being called a tree-hugger.

  • Greenbuilding in Riverside Park

    Greenbuilding in Riverside Park

    Preview of carbon-neutral facility, built of recycled materials that will operate entirely off the grid in Riverside Park.

  • Rain, Rain, Go Away…

    Rain, Rain, Go Away…

    Assessing biodiversity on coffee farms in Costa Rica is a difficult task when unyielding torrential downpours strike.

  • Achieving Water Sustainability in Ceará, Brazil

    Achieving Water Sustainability in Ceará, Brazil

    Achieving sustainable water sustainability in Brazil’s semi-arid northeast will involve more than just building pipes, pumps and water towers: it will require significant changes in the ways water is monitored, distributed and used throughout the region.

  • How Coffee Affects Biodiversity

    How Coffee Affects Biodiversity

    S. Amanda Caudill is currently evaluating mammal biodiversity in coffee dominated regions in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Her findings will help determine which habitat parameters are important to the mammals and shape suggestions on how to enhance the habitat.

  • Vertical Farms: From Vision to Reality

    Vertical Farms: From Vision to Reality

    Dr. Dickson Despommier believes vertical farming—the growing of crops indoors in multi-story urban buildings—can help feed the growing global population and undo the environmental damage caused by conventional agriculture.

  • Join a Conversation About 7 Billion People

    Join a Conversation About 7 Billion People

    The world’s population will reach 7 billion this year, and the UN estimates continued growth, primarily in less-developed regions. What will this steep population growth mean for our environmental, economic and social systems? Join the conversation on Oct. 17.

  • Wasteland Transformed into Magnificent Freshkills Park

    Wasteland Transformed into Magnificent Freshkills Park

    Odors of putrid garbage and mismanaged waste are being replaced by fragrant grass and flowers at Staten Island’s Freshkills Park, once the world’s biggest landfill.

  • Your Nose Knows Evolution – Do You?

    Your Nose Knows Evolution – Do You?

    Olfaction is one of the least understood senses but has played a vital role in the evolution of vertebrates. Basic survival behaviors such as foraging, communicating, recalling memory, and reproduction are often dependent on a protruding-facial structure that we too often ignore.

Colorful banner with city: "MR 2025: Mobility, Adaptation, and Wellbeing in a Changing Climate."
  • A Chat With Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science

    A Chat With Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science

    In candid conversation, wrought with his usual humor and wit, Dr. Shahid Naeem, CERC’s Director of Science, discusses topics ranging from the critical role of life on Earth and trends in sustainability to Taylor Swift, his own personal “Science Hall of Fame” and being called a tree-hugger.

  • Greenbuilding in Riverside Park

    Greenbuilding in Riverside Park

    Preview of carbon-neutral facility, built of recycled materials that will operate entirely off the grid in Riverside Park.

  • Rain, Rain, Go Away…

    Rain, Rain, Go Away…

    Assessing biodiversity on coffee farms in Costa Rica is a difficult task when unyielding torrential downpours strike.

  • Achieving Water Sustainability in Ceará, Brazil

    Achieving Water Sustainability in Ceará, Brazil

    Achieving sustainable water sustainability in Brazil’s semi-arid northeast will involve more than just building pipes, pumps and water towers: it will require significant changes in the ways water is monitored, distributed and used throughout the region.

  • How Coffee Affects Biodiversity

    How Coffee Affects Biodiversity

    S. Amanda Caudill is currently evaluating mammal biodiversity in coffee dominated regions in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Her findings will help determine which habitat parameters are important to the mammals and shape suggestions on how to enhance the habitat.

  • Vertical Farms: From Vision to Reality

    Vertical Farms: From Vision to Reality

    Dr. Dickson Despommier believes vertical farming—the growing of crops indoors in multi-story urban buildings—can help feed the growing global population and undo the environmental damage caused by conventional agriculture.

  • Join a Conversation About 7 Billion People

    Join a Conversation About 7 Billion People

    The world’s population will reach 7 billion this year, and the UN estimates continued growth, primarily in less-developed regions. What will this steep population growth mean for our environmental, economic and social systems? Join the conversation on Oct. 17.

  • Wasteland Transformed into Magnificent Freshkills Park

    Wasteland Transformed into Magnificent Freshkills Park

    Odors of putrid garbage and mismanaged waste are being replaced by fragrant grass and flowers at Staten Island’s Freshkills Park, once the world’s biggest landfill.

  • Your Nose Knows Evolution – Do You?

    Your Nose Knows Evolution – Do You?

    Olfaction is one of the least understood senses but has played a vital role in the evolution of vertebrates. Basic survival behaviors such as foraging, communicating, recalling memory, and reproduction are often dependent on a protruding-facial structure that we too often ignore.