State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

tundra

  • Warmer Temperatures Drive Arctic Greening

    Warmer Temperatures Drive Arctic Greening

    Using satellite images spanning decades, a new study has found that the northern tundra is becoming greener, as warmer air and soil temperatures lead to increased plant growth.

  • Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: Taiga to Tundra

    Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: Taiga to Tundra

    In the nine-hour drive on the great Dalton Highway to Toolik Field Station one starts out in the boreal forest, which is also called the “taiga,” but the forest eventually disappears. More accurately, trees disappear. Leaving Fairbanks, one drives through beautiful stands of spruce, birch, and aspen trees, but as one gets closer and closer…

  • Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: The Quest for the Arctic Wolf

    Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: The Quest for the Arctic Wolf

    When you travel northbound on Alaska’s famous Dalton Highway heading toward the Arctic Sea, the northern edge of the world, you carry a radio to communicate with the enormous rigs that roar along the road, the giant trucks made famous by the History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers. Radio messages between truckers and non-truckers are simple…

Collage of Turkiye beach scene and Columbia University Campus with text: UN Climate Change Conference COP31, Antalya, Turkiye, Nov 9-20, 2026

COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • Warmer Temperatures Drive Arctic Greening

    Warmer Temperatures Drive Arctic Greening

    Using satellite images spanning decades, a new study has found that the northern tundra is becoming greener, as warmer air and soil temperatures lead to increased plant growth.

  • Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: Taiga to Tundra

    Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: Taiga to Tundra

    In the nine-hour drive on the great Dalton Highway to Toolik Field Station one starts out in the boreal forest, which is also called the “taiga,” but the forest eventually disappears. More accurately, trees disappear. Leaving Fairbanks, one drives through beautiful stands of spruce, birch, and aspen trees, but as one gets closer and closer…

  • Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: The Quest for the Arctic Wolf

    Strange Bedfellows in the Climate Change Saga: The Quest for the Arctic Wolf

    When you travel northbound on Alaska’s famous Dalton Highway heading toward the Arctic Sea, the northern edge of the world, you carry a radio to communicate with the enormous rigs that roar along the road, the giant trucks made famous by the History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers. Radio messages between truckers and non-truckers are simple…