State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Urban

  • Climate Change May Soon Hit Billions of People. Many Cities Are Already Taking Action.

    Climate Change May Soon Hit Billions of People. Many Cities Are Already Taking Action.

    Billions of people in thousands of cities around the world will soon be at risk from climate-related heat waves, droughts, flooding, food shortages and energy blackouts by mid-century, but many cities are already taking action to blunt such effects, says a new report from a consortium of international organizations.

  • Cities Are Key to a Sustainable Future

    Cities Are Key to a Sustainable Future

    Get a sneak peek at the major takeaways from The Sustainable City, the latest book by Earth Institute executive director Steve Cohen. Available now from Columbia University Press.

  • Urban Sustainability and the Sharing Economy

    Urban Sustainability and the Sharing Economy

    A growing aspect of sustainable urban living is the “sharing economy.” Sharing has always been a part of urban life; we have long shared books in public libraries, nature in parks, and seats on the stoops of row houses. But in the past few years, cities have seen a significant revival and acceleration in sharing…

  • Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads data are critical to planning and development of rural transportation in developing countries, where better transportation systems can help improve livelihoods.

  • A New Primer on Sea Level

    A New Primer on Sea Level

    The threat of sea-level rise–actually, its ongoing reality–has been on many more minds since New York and surrounding areas were walloped during Hurricane Sandy by a record-high storm surge, abetted by a water level that has risen steadily over the last century. That level will keep rising if climate keeps warming, and so, probably, will…

  • Sandy’s Surge Affected More Than 1.4 Million in 11 States

    Sandy’s Surge Affected More Than 1.4 Million in 11 States

    Based on a model used by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the map shows coastal areas likely to have been inundated by the storm surge resulting from Hurricane Sandy, in relationship to residential population.

  • Climate Change May Soon Hit Billions of People. Many Cities Are Already Taking Action.

    Climate Change May Soon Hit Billions of People. Many Cities Are Already Taking Action.

    Billions of people in thousands of cities around the world will soon be at risk from climate-related heat waves, droughts, flooding, food shortages and energy blackouts by mid-century, but many cities are already taking action to blunt such effects, says a new report from a consortium of international organizations.

  • Cities Are Key to a Sustainable Future

    Cities Are Key to a Sustainable Future

    Get a sneak peek at the major takeaways from The Sustainable City, the latest book by Earth Institute executive director Steve Cohen. Available now from Columbia University Press.

  • Urban Sustainability and the Sharing Economy

    Urban Sustainability and the Sharing Economy

    A growing aspect of sustainable urban living is the “sharing economy.” Sharing has always been a part of urban life; we have long shared books in public libraries, nature in parks, and seats on the stoops of row houses. But in the past few years, cities have seen a significant revival and acceleration in sharing…

  • Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads: An Essential Element of Development

    Roads data are critical to planning and development of rural transportation in developing countries, where better transportation systems can help improve livelihoods.

  • A New Primer on Sea Level

    A New Primer on Sea Level

    The threat of sea-level rise–actually, its ongoing reality–has been on many more minds since New York and surrounding areas were walloped during Hurricane Sandy by a record-high storm surge, abetted by a water level that has risen steadily over the last century. That level will keep rising if climate keeps warming, and so, probably, will…

  • Sandy’s Surge Affected More Than 1.4 Million in 11 States

    Sandy’s Surge Affected More Than 1.4 Million in 11 States

    Based on a model used by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the map shows coastal areas likely to have been inundated by the storm surge resulting from Hurricane Sandy, in relationship to residential population.