State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

sustainable development14

  • Undergraduate Senior Focuses Thesis on Democratic Process in Ghana

    Undergraduate Senior Focuses Thesis on Democratic Process in Ghana

    Motivated by the opportunity to give back to her country, Ohemaa Ofori-Atta is studying Sustainable Development at Columbia.

  • Alumna Shares Her Experience as a Fulbright Scholar 

    Alumna Shares Her Experience as a Fulbright Scholar 

    MJ Engel is an alumna of Columbia’s Undergraduate Sustainable Development Program and a U.S. Fulbright Scholar currently studying in China.

  • Alumni Startup Brings Pay-as-you-Go Solar Energy to Sierra Leone

    Alumni Startup Brings Pay-as-you-Go Solar Energy to Sierra Leone

    In Sierra Leone, only 1 percent of rural citizens have access to electricity. Easy Solar, founded by graduates of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, hopes to change that.

  • When People Must Make Way for Nature

    When People Must Make Way for Nature

    It is the black before dawn at the gate to the Kanha Tiger Reserve, in the highlands of central India. The still air carries a dank, penetrating chill. But it is hardly quiet. A buzzing line of tourists is forming at the ticket booth, peddlers are pouring steaming cups of tea.  Groups of green-uniformed rangers chat…

  • Photo Essay: When People Must Make Way for Nature

    Photo Essay: When People Must Make Way for Nature

    The forested Kanha Tiger Reserve, in the highlands of central India, is home to an abundance of rare wildlife. It also used to be home to thousands of people—that is, until they were moved out by the government to make way for endangered creatures.

  • Internet-in-a-Box: Connectivity for the Rest of the World

    Internet-in-a-Box: Connectivity for the Rest of the World

    For the 60% of people without Internet access across the globe, lack of connectivity can affect every facet of their lives – including healthcare. In the Dominican Republic, a team of MPA-DP students examines how Internet-in-a-box technology could help healthcare providers improve outcomes in the developing world.

  • Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Kartik Chandran, an environmental engineer at Columbia, will discuss some of his urban wastewater treatment projects at a panel discussion Friday following the screening of a new film about Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay.

  • Equipment Repairs in SW Bangladesh

    Equipment Repairs in SW Bangladesh

    Humayun, Liz and I headed to Khulna in SW Bangladesh a day after Chris and Dan. Along the way, we stopped at our sediment compaction meter for surveying and removing the GPS, and getting feasted by the family that hosts the system.

  • Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    I’m back in Bangladesh with a small team after a year and a half away. One different is a police escort as a result of the attacks last year. We start by successfully sampling river sediments to correct the date of an earthquake that caused a river to shift over 3,500 years ago. We also…

Banner with images representing environmental issues and text "You Asked: Our Scientists and Experts Answer Your Burning Questions."

You Asked invites you to share your most pressing questions about climate, science, and sustainability. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia Climate School experts will respond with clear, evidence-based answers. Pose your questions and story ideas!

  • Undergraduate Senior Focuses Thesis on Democratic Process in Ghana

    Undergraduate Senior Focuses Thesis on Democratic Process in Ghana

    Motivated by the opportunity to give back to her country, Ohemaa Ofori-Atta is studying Sustainable Development at Columbia.

  • Alumna Shares Her Experience as a Fulbright Scholar 

    Alumna Shares Her Experience as a Fulbright Scholar 

    MJ Engel is an alumna of Columbia’s Undergraduate Sustainable Development Program and a U.S. Fulbright Scholar currently studying in China.

  • Alumni Startup Brings Pay-as-you-Go Solar Energy to Sierra Leone

    Alumni Startup Brings Pay-as-you-Go Solar Energy to Sierra Leone

    In Sierra Leone, only 1 percent of rural citizens have access to electricity. Easy Solar, founded by graduates of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, hopes to change that.

  • When People Must Make Way for Nature

    When People Must Make Way for Nature

    It is the black before dawn at the gate to the Kanha Tiger Reserve, in the highlands of central India. The still air carries a dank, penetrating chill. But it is hardly quiet. A buzzing line of tourists is forming at the ticket booth, peddlers are pouring steaming cups of tea.  Groups of green-uniformed rangers chat…

  • Photo Essay: When People Must Make Way for Nature

    Photo Essay: When People Must Make Way for Nature

    The forested Kanha Tiger Reserve, in the highlands of central India, is home to an abundance of rare wildlife. It also used to be home to thousands of people—that is, until they were moved out by the government to make way for endangered creatures.

  • Internet-in-a-Box: Connectivity for the Rest of the World

    Internet-in-a-Box: Connectivity for the Rest of the World

    For the 60% of people without Internet access across the globe, lack of connectivity can affect every facet of their lives – including healthcare. In the Dominican Republic, a team of MPA-DP students examines how Internet-in-a-box technology could help healthcare providers improve outcomes in the developing world.

  • Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Cleaning Up New York City’s Waters and Beyond: Q&A with Kartik Chandran

    Kartik Chandran, an environmental engineer at Columbia, will discuss some of his urban wastewater treatment projects at a panel discussion Friday following the screening of a new film about Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay.

  • Equipment Repairs in SW Bangladesh

    Equipment Repairs in SW Bangladesh

    Humayun, Liz and I headed to Khulna in SW Bangladesh a day after Chris and Dan. Along the way, we stopped at our sediment compaction meter for surveying and removing the GPS, and getting feasted by the family that hosts the system.

  • Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    Back to Bangladesh to Date Earthquakes and More

    I’m back in Bangladesh with a small team after a year and a half away. One different is a police escort as a result of the attacks last year. We start by successfully sampling river sediments to correct the date of an earthquake that caused a river to shift over 3,500 years ago. We also…