State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

water matters40

  • A Rogue Water Project

    Even today, many Central Asian nations rely on infrastructure that was clumsily implemented by the Soviet Union in the 1970s, and Tajikistan is no exception.  In fact, she is the poorest country in Central Asia and has long been quarrelling with Uzbekistan and even Afghanistan over resources and related policies.  One such controversial project involves…

  • Scientific Realism and Climate Change: Seminar with Martin Skrydstrup

    Martin Skrydstrup is looking at science from a different perspective. By studying the scientific process anthropologically, he hopes to help reduce public confusion and mistrust around Climate Change science.

  • Nitrogen and Wastewater: Kartik Chandran interview Part 2

    Part 2 of CWC interview with research scientist Kartik Chandran: Nitrogen in wastewater removal and technology development. “As part of the nitrous oxide research program we are also coming up with process designs that remove nitrogen from both the liquid and gaseous space. Not one against the other. This is actually going into place all…

  • World Water Day – Let’s All Pull Together

    Today, Monday, March 22 is World Water Day.  It’s great to see the heightened attention to water issues, even if just for the day.  The Huffington Post is featuring numerous WWD-related articles and in a recent check, “World Water Day” was the 75th most popular Google search.   Virtually every WWD article I’ve seen cites similar statistics, which…

  • Microbial Drug Resistance: Interview with Kartik Chandran, Part 1

    Kartik Chandran, an Assistant Professor at the Columbia University Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering and the Director of CUBES, spoke to CWC about microbial drug resistance and nitrogen in wastewater treatment, and its relationship with climate change.

  • Worldwide Drinking Water and Sanitation: New WHO/UNICEF report

    WHO/UNICEF has released a new report that describes the status and trends with regard to safe drinking-water and basic sanitation worldwide, and progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals drinking-water and sanitation target.

  • New York City Water Summit, April 9, 2010

    Two of the most important, though less visible, environmental issues will have their day on April 9th. Attendees at the first New York City Water Summit will spend the day exploring the issues of drinking water and waste water, from technical and policy perspectives.

  • Get real: water pixies won’t solve your problems

    A currently very vocal part of the population is calling for less government and lower taxes – they apparently think that pixies will come in the night and maintain the infrastructure which provides for their comfortable lives.

  • The Dead Sea Dilemma – Part I

    There is one thing that people do agree on in the Middle East – the Dead Sea needs help. Its surface level is dropping by an average of three feet a year and the shoreline has retreated more than a mile in some locations. Over the past 50 years, the surface area of the Sea…

Colorful banner with city: "MR 2025: Mobility, Adaptation, and Wellbeing in a Changing Climate."

  • A Rogue Water Project

    Even today, many Central Asian nations rely on infrastructure that was clumsily implemented by the Soviet Union in the 1970s, and Tajikistan is no exception.  In fact, she is the poorest country in Central Asia and has long been quarrelling with Uzbekistan and even Afghanistan over resources and related policies.  One such controversial project involves…

  • Scientific Realism and Climate Change: Seminar with Martin Skrydstrup

    Martin Skrydstrup is looking at science from a different perspective. By studying the scientific process anthropologically, he hopes to help reduce public confusion and mistrust around Climate Change science.

  • Nitrogen and Wastewater: Kartik Chandran interview Part 2

    Part 2 of CWC interview with research scientist Kartik Chandran: Nitrogen in wastewater removal and technology development. “As part of the nitrous oxide research program we are also coming up with process designs that remove nitrogen from both the liquid and gaseous space. Not one against the other. This is actually going into place all…

  • World Water Day – Let’s All Pull Together

    Today, Monday, March 22 is World Water Day.  It’s great to see the heightened attention to water issues, even if just for the day.  The Huffington Post is featuring numerous WWD-related articles and in a recent check, “World Water Day” was the 75th most popular Google search.   Virtually every WWD article I’ve seen cites similar statistics, which…

  • Microbial Drug Resistance: Interview with Kartik Chandran, Part 1

    Kartik Chandran, an Assistant Professor at the Columbia University Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering and the Director of CUBES, spoke to CWC about microbial drug resistance and nitrogen in wastewater treatment, and its relationship with climate change.

  • Worldwide Drinking Water and Sanitation: New WHO/UNICEF report

    WHO/UNICEF has released a new report that describes the status and trends with regard to safe drinking-water and basic sanitation worldwide, and progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals drinking-water and sanitation target.

  • New York City Water Summit, April 9, 2010

    Two of the most important, though less visible, environmental issues will have their day on April 9th. Attendees at the first New York City Water Summit will spend the day exploring the issues of drinking water and waste water, from technical and policy perspectives.

  • Get real: water pixies won’t solve your problems

    A currently very vocal part of the population is calling for less government and lower taxes – they apparently think that pixies will come in the night and maintain the infrastructure which provides for their comfortable lives.

  • The Dead Sea Dilemma – Part I

    There is one thing that people do agree on in the Middle East – the Dead Sea needs help. Its surface level is dropping by an average of three feet a year and the shoreline has retreated more than a mile in some locations. Over the past 50 years, the surface area of the Sea…