State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

sustainable economy

  • Environmental Sustainability as a Business Opportunity and Risk

    Environmental Sustainability as a Business Opportunity and Risk

    Consumers, businesses, and governments are paying more attention to the environment today than they did yesterday. They will also be paying more attention to environmental sustainability tomorrow than they do today.

  • Green Jobs and the Transition to An Environmentally Sustainable Economy

    Green Jobs and the Transition to An Environmentally Sustainable Economy

    The transition to environmental sustainability has begun, and it is important that it is connected to economic development and job creation.

  • After the Pandemic: Designing a Just and Resilient Economy For All

    After the Pandemic: Designing a Just and Resilient Economy For All

    In a recent online discussion, economists emphasized the need to establish a new system that factors in sustainability and well-being.

  • Main Streets, Malls, and Sustainable Consumption

    Main Streets, Malls, and Sustainable Consumption

    As new technologies continue to change consumption patterns, land use and social norms, we have an opportunity to ensure these changes result in an exciting sustainable lifestyle in a new type of sustainable city.

  • The Progress Toward Sustainability

    The Progress Toward Sustainability

    The effort to ensure that humans can continue to benefit from the miracle of this planet, and increase the distribution of those benefits to all of humanity is well underway. A positive vision of sustainability underlies much of the progress we have made thus far, and will be of increasing importance as the transition to…

  • The Environment and the 2016 Elections

    The environment holds the potential to emerge as a political issue in the 2016 presidential election in part because it has gone from being a non-partisan consensus issue to a deeply partisan ideological issue. The battleground will be for the heart and mind of the independent voter.

  • Coal Miners, Extractive Industries, and a Sustainable Economy

    The impact of new technologies on jobs is unavoidable, and not all of the news is bad. Many old jobs are destroyed but many new jobs are created. The problem is that with weak unions, global competition and inadequate wage regulation, some of the new jobs are lower paid than the old jobs.

  • Lessons of the Move From Hybrids Back to SUVs

    This shift in consumer attitudes demonstrates that mass behaviors that lead to a sustainable and renewable economy will not come from a simple desire to protect the environment. Hybrids and electric cars are more expensive than traditional autos and as long as that is the case, they will have difficulty competing with them

  • Environmental Sustainability as a Business Opportunity and Risk

    Environmental Sustainability as a Business Opportunity and Risk

    Consumers, businesses, and governments are paying more attention to the environment today than they did yesterday. They will also be paying more attention to environmental sustainability tomorrow than they do today.

  • Green Jobs and the Transition to An Environmentally Sustainable Economy

    Green Jobs and the Transition to An Environmentally Sustainable Economy

    The transition to environmental sustainability has begun, and it is important that it is connected to economic development and job creation.

  • After the Pandemic: Designing a Just and Resilient Economy For All

    After the Pandemic: Designing a Just and Resilient Economy For All

    In a recent online discussion, economists emphasized the need to establish a new system that factors in sustainability and well-being.

  • Main Streets, Malls, and Sustainable Consumption

    Main Streets, Malls, and Sustainable Consumption

    As new technologies continue to change consumption patterns, land use and social norms, we have an opportunity to ensure these changes result in an exciting sustainable lifestyle in a new type of sustainable city.

  • The Progress Toward Sustainability

    The Progress Toward Sustainability

    The effort to ensure that humans can continue to benefit from the miracle of this planet, and increase the distribution of those benefits to all of humanity is well underway. A positive vision of sustainability underlies much of the progress we have made thus far, and will be of increasing importance as the transition to…

  • The Environment and the 2016 Elections

    The environment holds the potential to emerge as a political issue in the 2016 presidential election in part because it has gone from being a non-partisan consensus issue to a deeply partisan ideological issue. The battleground will be for the heart and mind of the independent voter.

  • Coal Miners, Extractive Industries, and a Sustainable Economy

    The impact of new technologies on jobs is unavoidable, and not all of the news is bad. Many old jobs are destroyed but many new jobs are created. The problem is that with weak unions, global competition and inadequate wage regulation, some of the new jobs are lower paid than the old jobs.

  • Lessons of the Move From Hybrids Back to SUVs

    This shift in consumer attitudes demonstrates that mass behaviors that lead to a sustainable and renewable economy will not come from a simple desire to protect the environment. Hybrids and electric cars are more expensive than traditional autos and as long as that is the case, they will have difficulty competing with them