sustainable development36
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Fast & Cheap: Shortcuts to Curb Global Warming
Relatively cheap, simple steps using existing technologies could cut projected global warming by one degree Fahrenheit – a substantial amount — by focusing on sources of methane and soot, concludes a new study by an international team of scientists.
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Interdisciplinary Studies Make for Holistic Solutions
Having multiple interests is an asset in a world where complex problems necessitate holistic solutions from practitioners who can communicate with a multitude of stakeholders. “Interdisciplinary study is the way of the future because among different stakeholders, communication is key,” said student David Katz. Students from Columbia University’s Ph.D. program in Sustainable Development and the…
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Enabling Change: Training Development Practitioners in Jordan
The citizens of Jordan, and elsewhere in the Middle East, must confront challenges of rapid population growth, climate change, poverty, inequality and environmental degradation. A new program run jointly by the Earth Institute and the Institute of Sustainable Development Practice in Amman is helping policymakers and others involved learn the techniques of sustainable development to…
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From Development Practitioner to National Leader: Lessons from Garry Conille, Prime Minister of Haiti
Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille met with students and scientists of the Earth Institute to explore core issues of Haiti’s growth and development.
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Farmers, Flames and Climate: Are We Entering an Age of ‘Mega-Fires’?
For millennia, people have set fires to clear land for cultivation, pastures or hunting; so-called slash-and-burn agriculture is still common across much of tropical Africa, Asia and South America. It has been a useful strategy–but …
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The Center for Career Education Speaks with Students
Here are four questions to ask yourself if you’re a student about to start searching for a post-graduate job or internship: What do you like to do? How do you like to work? What sort of environment do you best work in? What things will you most value in a job? Financial security, prestige, helping…
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Earth Institute Receives Funds To Scale Up Effort To Reach Millennium Development Goals
$15 Million for 5 years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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Students See Freshkills Park as Urban Redesign Project
The first fall field trip took students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development outside of the city limits, through the Narrows and into Staten Island to learn about Freshkills Park, the place once known as the world’s largest landfill. Upon arriving at St. George ferry terminal on Sept. 24, students were greeted by Doug…
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Unsettled by Climate Change
Climate change already laps at the edges of some communities, disrupting local economies and habitat, and forcing resettlement. But a new study notes that any efforts to offset the effects of shifting climate could lead to even more displacement and disruption for many people, particularly the poor.

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
